Live coverage from Bangkok’s 5G Summit and User Conference: China’s private 5G network deployments have surged nearly tenfold in the past 18 months, with industrial internet and smart city applications accounting for more than half of the total deployments.
Wang Xinhui, IMT-2020 Advisory Board Member (It was photographed) cited data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showing that private networks in the 5G industry increased from 2,300 at the end of 2021 to more than 20,000 at the end of June.
Nearly 7,000 factories have deployed 5G networks, and 691 mines across China are using the technology. Other major sectors adopting private 5G networks include healthcare, education, and logistics.
Wang noted that all of these developments are part of China’s push for digital transformation across industries, a point highlighted by GSMA CEO John Hoffman in a previous keynote speech. He pointed out that China is actively promoting the establishment of new business models to promote the expansion of use in various fields.
Increased adoption in so many areas shows “why standards matter,” Wang said.
When it comes to 6G, Wang disagrees with others who argue that the technology is being rushed. “By focusing on a few key fundamentals, we are laying the foundation for future networks.”
Wang also highlighted that the number of 5G base stations in the country has increased from 1.4 million sites at the end of 2021 to 2.3 million sites a year later, and 3.2 million sites at the end of September.
Turning to the consumer sector, he said the domestic 5G penetration rate will rise by 9.5 percentage points to 42.8 percent by the end of 2022.
