China is planning to triple the number of its 5G base stations in the next five years. The country aims to get 56 percent of the country on 5G networks by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), up from 15% in 2020.
The number of 5G base stations per 10,000 people will reach 26 by 2025, said the plan issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
According to a report in China Daily, MIIT's target is a total of 3.64 million base stations by end-2025.
The five-year plan also forecasts that the cumulative investment in telecom infrastructure will increase from 2.5 trillion yuan in 2020 to 3.7 trillion yuan in 2025.
China reportedly had nearly 634 million 5G package subscribers in end-September. Currently, the nation has 1.2 million 5G sites nationwide, which make up about 70% of the global total, with the number of customers on compatible plans accounting for 38.7% of the nation’s tally.
Xie Cun, director of the MIIT’s information and communication development department, told China Daily all prefecture-level cities have full 5G coverage, with rural towns at 40%.
Xie said 5G has already been used in 22 industries, including industrial manufacturing, mining, ports, medical care, education, and entertainment. “In the next step, we will work with other parties to focus on promoting 5G applications in 15 industries that target information consumption, the real economy, and people’s livelihood services,” Xie said.
