China-based telecom operators are expected to deploy around 600,000 5G base stations in the country by the end of this year, according to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
The 5G base stations provide commercial services in over 50 cities across the country.
So far, telecom operators such as China Unicorn, China Mobile and China Telecom have already deployed more than 250,000 base stations across the country.
As of May, China has shipped around 59.85 million units of 5G mobile phones in the country. Reportedly, China has more than 36 million 5G subscribers in the country.
China Unicom alone has already deployed a total of 130,000 5G base stations across China. Of that total, 115,000 5G base stations were built in partnership with rival operator China Telecom.
The telco recently revealed that the coronavirus pandemic in China had slowed the deployment of 5G networks and impacted business development.
In a statement, chairman and chief executive at China Unicom Wang Xiaochu said he expects 5G user growth to accelerate in the second half of 2020, as 5G network deployments accelerate and prices of 5G devices decline and more innovative applications emerge.
Last year, MIIT granted licenses for the launch of commercial 5G networks in the country to China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom and state-owned broadcaster China Broadcasting Network.
According to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, 5G technology is expected to create more than 8 million jobs in China by 2030.
Around 28 percent of China’s mobile connections will be running on 5G networks by 2025, accounting for about one-third of all 5G connections globally, according to a report by GSMA.