Earlier today, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, which is directly under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, released the 5G development report for 2021. According to the report, in 2021, 5G mobile phone shipments in the Chinese market hit 266 million units. This is a year-on-year increase of 63.5% and accounts for 75.9% of mobile phone shipments in the same period. This is much higher than the global average of 40.7%. In terms of infrastructure construction, as of the end of November 2021, China has built a total of 1.396 million 5G base stations.
The 5G base stations cover all cities and urban areas above the prefecture-level, more than 97% of counties and 50% of townships and towns, including telecom operators. As of now, the country has more than 800,000 shared 5G base stations. So far, more than 2,300 5G industry virtual private networks have been built and commercialized in China.
China’s 5G progress
As of the end of November 2021, the total number of mobile phone users of the three basic telecommunications companies in China is 1.642 billion. Out of this number, 497 million were connected to 5G mobile terminals. This accounts for about 30% of the total number of users, a net increase of 298 million.
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For comparison, in November 2021, Xie Cun, director of the Information and Communication Development Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that at present, China has built more than 1.15 million 5G base stations. This accounts for more than 70% of the world’s total. It is the world’s largest and most advanced 5G independent network.
At the same time, in prefecture-level cities, more than 97% of county-level urban areas have 5G network coverage. Furthermore, 40% of townships and towns in the country also have 5G network coverage. 5G terminal users have reached 450 million, accounting for more than 80% of the world.
China is far ahead of the world in 5G deployment
China will strengthen its support and investment in 5G. It will invest in 5G big data, basic software, industrial software, artificial intelligence, and other basic core technologies. It will also promote advanced industrial foundations and industrial chain modernization. In addition, Shang Bing, chairman of the Internet Society of China, suggested that it is necessary to vigorously promote the construction of new-generation information and communication infrastructure. This includes 5G and gigabit networks and deploying 6G and other new network technology.
Furthermore, China believes that it is necessary to enhance technological innovation capabilities. It will accelerate breakthroughs in key technologies such as high-end chips, network slicing, and basic software.
