Baidu has agreed a deal with the telecom company China Unicom in order to deliver a sophisticated network service. The deal between the two companies was agreed in the first few days of November, and aims to deliver a more “dynamic” state-run wireless network to people in China. Baidu has said that the companies will work together to use Baidu’s knowledge of AI, big data and ecommerce to improve the service China Unicom can deliver to consumers. The deal with Baidu comes as part of a pilot programme that aims to encourage more private investment in publicly-run companies in the country. China Unicom’s Senior Vice President said however that the partnership with Baidu was not just for strategic reasons, but also about introducing high quality tech that would “boost Unicom's overall competitiveness”. The deal has also brought about speculation that China’s other large web companies, Alibaba and Tencent, could begin investing in public companies.