According to MIIT data, 5G technologies have been integrated into 71 major economic categories in China
Chinese operators have deployed over 3.5 million 5G base stations across China as of the end of February, local news agency Xinhua reported, citing the latest available data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
With the expansion of 5G stations, the usage of 5G in local industries is also being expanded and the integration of digital technologies and the real economy fast-tracked, according to the ministry.
The MIIT data also showed that 5G technologies have been integrated into 71 major economic categories in China, including intelligent factories, mining and logistics.
Zhao Zhiguo, the ministry’s chief engineer, said the ministry will continue to promote the digital transformation of industries and carry out the AI Plus initiative to speed up new industrialization empowered by digital technologies.
The report also noted that efforts will be made to promote the large-scale development of 5G applications to achieve more innovation across different verticals.
5G base stations currently account for approximately 29% of total mobile base stations in China. The ratio is 7.8 percentage points higher than at the end of 2022.
The coverage penetration of 5G technology in China was expected to reach 90% as of the end of 2023, local newspaper Global Times previously reported, citing an executive from local carrier China Mobile.
Bian Yannan, deputy general manager of planning and construction department at China Mobile, had said that this penetration rate was expected to be achieved thanks to the deployment of 360,000 5G base stations during 2023.
China is expected to reach a 5G adoption rate of 90% by 2030, making it a world leader in this space, according to the GSMA’s Mobile Economy China 2024. The report predicted that by the end of 2024, the Asian country will surpass 1 billion 5G connections and that by 2030, the number will soar to 1.6 billion connections, contributing $260 billion to China’s GDP.
Additionally, the GSMA report found that mobile data traffic in China is expected to quadruple by the end of the decade and that there are now 1.28 billion unique mobile subscribers in China, representing a penetration rate of 88%. Further, the advanced cellular ecosystem now supports almost 8 million jobs in China and contributes $110 billion a year through taxation, and in 2023, operator revenues reached $225 billion. By the end of the decade, the annual economic contribution from China’s mobile sector is forecast to exceed $1 trillion, predicted the GSMA.
