5G base stations account for 33% of the total number of mobile base stations across China
China’s mobile phone operators had installed a total of 3.92 million 5G base stations by the end of June, local news agency Xinhua reported, citing the latest data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The ministry reported that Chinese telecom operators installed a total of 540,000 5G base stations in the first half of this year.
Official data also showed that 5G base stations accounted for 33% of the total number of mobile base stations nationwide.
The report also noted that China’s 5G mobile subscriber base reached 927 million as of the end of June, up 105 million from the end of 2024. This figure accounts for 52.4% of the total mobile subscriber base of China’s major telecommunications operators, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom and China Broadnet, which totaled approximately 1.78 billion as of the end of June.
China’s Ministry of Communications said earlier this month that China’s telecom operators are rapidly rolling out 5G services, with the technology now covering all of the country’s cities, towns and more than 90% of villages.
Since China first issued 5G licenses for commercial use five years ago, 5G technology has been integrated into various sectors, including industry, power, mining, healthcare, and education. The report also highlighted that China has built nearly 300 5G factories and launched more than 13,000 projects applying 5G technology in industrial sites.
The ministry said last month that the commercialization of 5G services has generated about 5.6 trillion yuan ($785 billion) in economic benefits for China over the past five years, and that China will continue to push forward with 5G development and expand 5G network coverage in places such as cultural and tourist sites, medical facilities, universities, transportation hubs and subway systems.
China will step up efforts to commercialize 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology, which will enable wider applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in many sectors and also pave the way for future 6G systems, Chinese officials and business executives said recently at various sessions at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai, held in the city earlier this year.
2024 will see the commercial launch of 5G-A technology, which is expected to be a significant upgrade to 5G networks in terms of both functionality and coverage.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Zhao Zhiguo, chief engineer at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, stressed the importance of 5G-A as it deepens the integration of current 5G technology with new generation of information technologies, especially AI.
The official also stressed the need to leverage 5G to power emerging industries such as intelligent connected cars and low altitude economy. The introduction of integrated sensing and passive IoT technologies is essential for scenarios involving ubiquitous connectivity and high-end manufacturing, he added.
China Mobile said in April that it plans to roll out 5G-Advanced technology in more than 300 cities across China this year, according to local reports.
