The development of 5G in China

The main articles are:

• The development of 5G networks in the world
• Communications (China Market)

2024: China launches world's first commercial network 5.5G

At the end of March 2024, China Mobile, the largest mobile operator in China and the world, announced the launch of the first commercial 5G-A network (5G-Advanced). This is a new fifth-generation cellular standard, also known as 5.5G.

5.5G technology promises significant improvements over 5G. In particular, the throughput has tripled: the data download speed can reach 10 Gbps, and the transmission speed towards the base station - 1 Gbps. It is noted that 5.5G, or 5G-Advanced, is the marketing name for the 3GPP Release 18 standard. It assumes the possibility of using not only ground base stations, but also spacecraft.

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It is expected that 5G Advanced technology will increase the accuracy of positioning objects, which will help in the operation of unmanned vehicles, autonomous robots, etc. In addition, improved energy efficiency is achieved through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The first smartphones compatible with 5.5G were the Oppo Find X7 series. As noted by the GSM Arena resource, during the year (by March 2025) the number of 5.5G-compatible devices will exceed 20 models. By the end of 2024, the operator China Mobile intends to expand the coverage of the 5.5G network to more than 300 cities. These are, in particular, the largest metropolitan areas of China, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

More than half of China's mobile connections will use 5G networks by the end of 2024, according to GSMA. The contribution of 5G to China's GDP is expected to reach almost $260 billion by 2030, and the number of 5G connections in the country will be about 1.6 billion. It is also predicted that the penetration of 5G in China by 2030 will reach almost 90%, which will make this country one of the leading markets in the world in terms of the development of fifth-generation mobile networks.^[1]

2023

The number of 5G base stations in China for the year increased by 1 million units

By the end of 2023, the number of 5G base stations in China reached approximately 3.28 million. For comparison, a year earlier, about 2.31 million stations of this standard operated in the country. Thus, over the year, the 5G infrastructure in China has replenished by about 1 million stations, or 42%. The relevant statistics on December 20, 2023 are provided by the Ministry of Industry and Informatization of China (MIIT).

The MIIT data says that the 5G segment at the end of 2023 accounts for 28.5% of all existing cellular base stations in the PRC. According to the South China Morning Post, the introduction of 5.5G technology, also known as 5G-Advanced, is gaining momentum in China. It is expected that the application of this standard will increase the bandwidth of mobile channels to 10 Gbps against an average of 1 Gbps in 5G. In addition, delays will be significantly reduced. The use of 5.5G will help accelerate the development of the Internet of Things industry by optimizing spectrum and improving reliability.

Number of 5G base stations in China reaches 3.28 million

The three largest mobile operators in China - China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom - jointly serve 1.73 billion subscribers by the end of 2023. Among them, approximately 771 million people are owners of smartphones with 5G support. A year earlier, this value was 560.6 million subscribers. That is, over the year, the number of 5G users in the PRC rose by 37.5%. The share of owners of 5G devices reached 44.7% of the total number of subscribers of Chinese cellular networks.

China makes extensive use of 5G in the industrial sector, which helps to improve the efficiency of operations and reduce the burden on ordinary employees. For example, 5G networks allow remote control of robots in dangerous conditions, such as wells and quarries, which significantly improves the safety of the operation of such facilities.^[2]

China Mobile Launches Real-Time Speech Translation Phone Call Service

At the end of February 2023, China Mobile and South Korean company KT demonstrated the world's first international 5G roaming VoNR and VoNR + calling service. The service will allow you to translate speech into another language in real time during phone calls. Read more here.

World's first commercial roaming in 5G networks launched

On May 17, 2023 China , it announced the launch of the world's first firewall into commercial operation. roaming 5G The service operates in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the north-west of the PRC - this is the largest territorial-administrative unit of the country in terms of area.

In regions where 5G roaming service is provided, subscribers will be able to use mobile devices that support the corresponding function without changing the SIM card or phone number. This will give users the ability to access other operators' 5G networks when they are outside their operator's 5G coverage. Moreover, it will be possible to use the new service without additional service fees.

China announces the launch of 5G Internet roaming into commercial operation

Vice Minister of Industry information technology China and Zhang Yunming said the country intends to promote the widespread use of 5G and industrial Internet. In addition, the PRC will focus on future technologies such as 6G, quantum computing and, artificial intelligence exactly mimicking the work of the human brain.

According to official data, as of the end of March 2023, more than 2.6 million 5G base stations were built in China, and the number of owners smartphones with support for this communication standard exceeded 620 million 5G networks cover the entire territory of the country. According to a report by the GSM Association (GSMA), 5G technology in China will overtake 4G in 2024 and become the most common mobile standard in the country.

The dominance of 4G and 5G in China means outdated networks are being decommissioned. While most users have already switched to 4G and 5G, previous generation services continue to support a variety of IoT services. However, according to some estimates, outdated networks in China may be almost completely closed by 2025, the study says.[3]

2021

5G isn't driving demand for new smartphones

China's experience shows that users value 5G technology, but there will be no rush demand for it. China is the world's most advanced country for mass 5G adoption, while showing mixed results on the impact of 5G on the telecommunications industry. For more details, see Smartphones (China market).

China completes coverage with 5G towers of its entire territory

The Chinese Academy of Information and Communication Technology has published a report on the process of deploying 5G technologies in 2021. According to the ministry, the PRC has almost completely provided itself with the necessary towers - basic 5G stations for January 2022 are installed in all cities and urban areas, and also cover more than 97% of districts and about 50% of villages. At the same time, the number of communication users in the 5G standard is 450 million people - that is, more than 80% of the world's number of consumers using the latest generation of communication live in China. This became known on January 14, 2022.

At the beginning of 2022, the number of base stations in China crossed the 1.4 million tower mark. The academy noted that there are more than 800 thousand general installations in the country - consumer stations open for connection from any devices with support for the corresponding technology. The remaining towers - about 600 thousand more - are used in the corporate sector, government departments or have not yet been launched at the commercial level. To connect to 5G stations, telecommunications operators provide more than 2.3 thousand virtual 5G networks.

Coinciding with the publication of a study on the construction of new stations, the Chinese Academy also presented a report on sales of 5G smartphones. Analysts have calculated that deliveries of tower-compatible devices in 2021 increased by 63.5%, according to Gizchina.

Experts attribute the growth in sales to high demand and the democratization of technology - on average, smartphones with 5G support for January 2022 cost about $157. In general, sales of mobile 5G gadgets account for 75.9% of the total number of deliveries - according to the results of the year, China bypasses the rest of the world by more than 30%.

In July 2021, the Chinese authorities announced that by 2023 the number of 5G users in the country will grow to 560 million people. The same forecast indicated that 2022 smartphone owners will use 5G networks 40% year, and every 10 thousand people in China will connect to at least 18 towers. According to the plan, by the end of 2025, China has a coverage density of 26 base stations for every 10 thousand people. Given the current pace of deployment, the country's IT sector will be able to achieve the indicated indicators much earlier - probably by the beginning of 2023.

In the near future, China will still increase investment in 5G. Now into products and services. The government's strategy involves supporting national databases, developing artificial intelligence and automating industry. These areas should benefit from widespread access to high-speed 5G networks China^[4].

China has 1 million 5G base stations

By the end of August 2021, information appeared that more than 1 million base stations for 5G networks were built in China. The shock rollout of the technology highlights that the country is ramping up efforts to build a robust telecommunications infrastructure to expand 5G usage in a growing number of sectors.

Ministry of Industry information technology China and Zhao Zhiguo spokesman said a total of 1.03 million 5G base stations had been built in China by the end of August 2021, covering all prefectural-level cities across the country, with 5G services available in more than 95% of counties and urban areas and 35% of cities and towns.

1 million 5G base stations installed in China

From January to August 2021, shipments of 5G-enabled mobile phones in China reached 168 million units, marking an 80% increase over 2020. In August 2021, the share of 5G mobile phones was 74%.

China already has 70% of the world's 5G base stations, and the number of end users is expected to exceed 560 million by 2023.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Cyberspace Administration of China and the National Development and Reform Commission were among 10 departments that issued a plan for 2021-2023 that will significantly advance the use of 5G technology in China.

The plan aims to promote the development of 5G applications in key industries in China, a continuous process.

Not enough 5G apps can dampen user enthusiasm for switching to 5G devices and networks, as users can't feel the difference between 4G and 5G without experiencing 5G in realistic scenarios.

Foreign suppliers such as Ericsson and Nokia cannot abandon the Chinese market, as this means abandoning the earliest opportunities to cultivate their own 5G applications and improve their equipment on 5G. China is the fastest-growing and most powerful 5G market worldwide with the strongest foundation.

The plan also aims to accelerate the digital transformation of key industries through the priority application of 5G, for example, to create a full-fledged industrial internet.^[5]

2020

China launches world's largest 5G network

In November 2020, China announced the creation of the world's largest fifth-generation mobile communications network (5G). The country has installed about 700 thousand base stations used for this technology, which corresponds to 70% of their total number in the world.

According to the Deputy Minister of Industry and Informatization of the PRC Liu Lehong, by the end of November 2020 in the Celestial Empire there are more than 180 million devices connected to 5G networks. He also noted that in the context of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in China, there is a general increase in traffic consumption, the volume of which increased by an average of 50% compared to the level of the end of 2019.

China launched the world's largest 5G network

Infrastructure development has contributed to new 5G use cases. For example, in the educational sector, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, new models of learning began to be introduced using ultra-high resolution, remote interactive teaching, immersive learning through augmented and virtual reality technologies, as well as virtual holographic classes, - said Liu Lehong.

According to the Chinese authorities, in order to achieve full coverage in the PRC, it is necessary to install 10 million 5G base stations, which will require investments in the amount of 2 trillion yuan ($280 billion).

China is fighting USA for leadership in the deployment of 5G networks, since much faster (up to 100 times) data transfer should contribute to the development, self-driving cars automation of industry and other innovations. But in the United States, operators have to deal with many problems: the most suitable frequencies are already occupied by military or state institutions, almost all plots suitable for accommodating towers are owned by private owners, and equipment costs are higher due to the ban on the purchase of cheaper equipment. In Huawei turn, China has made the development of 5G a national priority and seeks to help operators in every possible way, even distributing frequencies for free, notes. Financial Times^[6]

Shenzhen becomes world's first city with full coverage of next-generation 5G communications

The Chinese city of Shenzhen has become the world's first city with full coverage of a new generation of 5G communications, China News Service^[7] reported^[8] August].

According to the head of the city Administration of Industry and Informatization Jia Sindong, more than 46.4 thousand base stations for 5G towers were built in the municipality. In terms of the density of coverage by the new generation network, Shenzhen ranks first in China.

Now in the PRC, active construction of infrastructure for new generation communication networks has been launched. Due to the outbreak of coronavirus infection, work is carried out at an accelerated pace. According to the Ministry of Industry and Informatization of China, more than 10 thousand base stations are installed every week. Earlier, local mobile operators announced a reduction in the cost of package tariffs for 5G.

ZTE Establishes Information Security Lab for 5G Industrial Internet

On July 31, 2020, it became known that the company ZTE founded the Laboratory information security for Industrial Internet 5G in Nanjing,. China More. here

ZTE and China Mobile unveil 5G edge cloud platform for healthcare industry

On June 3, 2020, the company ZTE Corporation announced a joint China Mobile launch China in a border cloudy platform for 5G medical services. The next generation 5G information and communication infrastructure for medical customers is an intelligent edge-cloud platform with integrated cloud network architecture. More. here

ZTE and China Telecom carried out a 5G diagnostic session for coronavirus pneumonia

The company ZTE Corporation and the Sichuan division telecommunication provider China Telecom carried out the first remote diagnostics session coronavirus with the support of innovative technologies. 5G ZTE announced this on January 28, 2020. More. here

China launches communications satellite for 5G networks

In mid-January 2020, China launched a commercial 5G satellite Yinhe-1 into low Earth orbit. The Kuaizhou-1A solid fuel Raketa carrier (Fast Cheln-1A) took off from a mobile platform from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on January 16 at 11:02 Beijing time. Read more here.

2019

Huawei's investment exceeded that of Europe and the US combined

From 2009 to 2019, Huawei invested more than $4 billion in research and development of technologies for fifth generation (5G) networks. This is more than similar investments of the United States and Europe combined, according to the Chinese company. Huawei made this statement at the end of December 2019 in response to the appearance in the media of information that the Chinese government provided the manufacturer with financial support in the amount of $75 billion.

This time, ridiculous accusations regarding Huawei financing ignore the fact that for 30 years we have been purposefully investing in research and development that stimulates the development of innovation and the technological sphere as a whole, the company said on its Twitter blog.

Huawei invested more than $4 billion in research and development of technology for fifth generation networks (5G)

In the same message, Huawei indicated that over the past 10 years, the company has spent a total of about $73 billion on research and development, including $15 billion in 2018. In addition, it is noted that in three decades Huawei sent from 10% to 15% of revenue to R&D, which became the key to the success of the vendor, including in the 5G solutions market.

By the end of 2019, Huawei has more than 60 contracts for 5G equipment, despite the fact that the Chinese company faced sanctions in the United States and calls from allied countries to boycott Huawei. At the end of the year, the Chinese manufacturer intends to supply over 600 thousand base stations for 5G networks, and in 2020 - more than 1.5 million units.

In 2019, a number of countries, including, South Korea, and Great Britain Switzerland Italy Kuwait, launched 5G networks - and two-thirds of them were created by Huawei, said Ryan Dean, executive director of the board of directors and president of Huawei's telecommunications operators division (his words are quoted on the company's website).^[9]

Beijing Unicom and Huawei conducted an iFIT test on the 5G network

On July 9, 2019, the company Huawei announced a Beijing Unicom China Unicom Beijing technology test conducted jointly with the company (branch in) iFIT on the network. 5G The iFIT solution increases the rate of disaster recovery by enabling Beijing Unicom to build a 5G intelligent network visualized transport with capabilities such as in-band flow measurement at the millisecond level, real-time monitoring of network service quality as required by service level agreements (SLAs SLA), and localization of Layer 2 faults that are difficult to detect. More. here

Coface assessed the prospects of the Chinese 5G technology industry

For China the project for the development of 5G the infrastructure, it became a priority at the earliest stages of the life cycle of this technology, and the Celestial Empire can already boast of certain successes in its implementation. At the same time, however, China remains largely dependent on imports of high-tech parts and components, making the Chinese ICT sector a particularly vulnerable target in the trade war with. USA Moreover, authorities in many countries believe that China's 5G infrastructure is a potential threat to international ones. information security Thus, the US authorities have previously decided on fairly tough preventive measures and blacklisted the Ministry of Commerce, ChineseHuawei while urging all their allies to do the same, which could greatly limit the potential growth of the Chinese 5G industry. Experts from an international group Coface specializing in risk trade insurance management published the results of a study on June 5, 2019, during which they assessed the prospects of the Chinese 5G technology industry.

China at one time turned out to be poorly prepared for the emergence of 3G technologies and, 4G therefore, Beijing fearing that the country would be among the laggards in the new round telecommunication of technology development, began to prepare the ground for the development of 5G infrastructure ahead of time. Back in 2014, the PRC authorities created an IMT-2020 5G technology task force to unite all industry players into a single ecosystem and debug the interaction between them. At the same time, a special nationwide fund was created to attract investments in the development of advanced technologies. The task announced by Beijing is to increase the volume of the national production industry computer microelectronics from 65 billion dollars in 2016 to 305 billion in 2030. Thanks to generous state support, private corporations have been able to dramatically accelerate the pace of development and testing of new technologies over the past few years.

According to Coface as of June 2019, about 40% of patents for technological standards in the field of 5G are concentrated in the hands of entrepreneurs from the Celestial Empire. Moreover, the introduction of 5G could encourage tens of millions of consumers around the world to consider replacing their mobile devices with newer models that support the innovative standard. Considering that 3 of the 5 largest players in the smartphone market are Chinese Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo, the same China will benefit most from the planned wave of replacements. According to the Academy of Information and Communication Technologies of the PRC, by 2025 the 5G market can generate up to 3.2% of the country's GDP.

China's ambitions to deploy its own-made 5G network infrastructure significantly limit a number of factors - both market and political.

1. Protectionism and the U.S.-China trade war

The electronics sector has become one of the main targets in the trade conflict between China and the United States - it accounts for 51% of the total Chinese imports imposed by tariffs. American tariffs prevent Chinese exporters from offering foreign buyers as favorable terms of cooperation as in the past. Entrepreneurs from the Middle Kingdom are losing competitive advantages over other manufacturers, which, of course, leads to a decrease in demand for Chinese products. In addition, Chinese business is highly dependent on the import of key high-tech components, and therefore reacts sharply to any interruptions in supply chains. In May, US authorities blacklisted Huawei, meaning the company will not be able to purchase parts and components from American manufacturers without the prior consent of American competent authorities. Considering that in 2018 16% of the total volume of parts purchased by Huawei was imported from the States, blacklisting could turn into very serious problems for the corporation.

2. Threats to information security

The authorities of many countries in which China plans to deploy its own 5G infrastructure perceive the introduction of Chinese technologies on the territory of their states as a threat to national cybersecurity. Thus, a number of countries led by the United States declare that the use of Chinese 5G infrastructure can cause confidential data of enterprises and consumers to fall into the hands of the Chinese authorities. The international community requires Chinese technology corporations to ensure maximum security and transparency of their 5G infrastructure, which also greatly complicates its implementation.

3. The possibilities of technology are not limitless

The transition to a new telecommunications standard is a complex process that will surely last for many years. Thus, the association of GSM operators predicts that by 2025 5G will account for only 14% of the total number of connections. In other words, the growth of the industry (and demand for 5G equipment) is unlikely to be explosive in the coming years.

China managed to ride the wave and quickly became one of the largest players in the 5G technology market, but Chinese manufacturers are still heavily dependent on imports of high-tech components. That leaves them vulnerable to the risks that come with protectionism, Coface associate economist Pauline Vale said.

The topic of 5G is now in the spotlight, not least because of political friction between China and the United States. At the same time, it can be noted that the inclusion of Chinese companies in the blacklists of suppliers limits competition in the sector and runs counter to the interests of private operators, "said Carlos Casanova, Coface expert on the economy of the Asia-Pacific region.

China Telecom and Huawei unveil 5G Super Uplink solution

On July 2, 2019, Huawei announced that it had jointly released a joint 5 G Super Uplink solution with China Telecom (China Telecom). Read more here.

First call in 5G network with NSA architecture

The company, an ZTE Corporation international provider telecommunication of solutions as well as enterprise and consumer technology for, mobile internet on January 18, 2019, announced that the Guangdong division China Unicom ZTE and made the world's first call to the network 5G using the ZTE prototype 5G smartphone as part of a 5G field test in Shenzhen city. During the tests, verification of various services was completed, including group voice calling in, messenger WeChat watching videos online and browsing the web. More. here

2018

China Telecom to test 5G network in 17 cities in China

On September 17, 2018, the company China Telecom announced the start of tests of the network 5G in 17 cities. China According information to the company, the measures are aimed at accelerating the full launch of commercial use of the technology in China. More. here

China finds itself far ahead of US on 5G development

On August 7, 2018, consultants to the international network of consulting and audit services companies Deloitte published a report according to which China was far ahead of the United States in the race to develop a new generation of 5G wireless network, and therefore intercepted the potential economic benefits associated with this network.

By early August 2018, China has ten times more 5G-enabled cell towers than the United States. In just three months of 2017, Chinese mobile phone companies added more sites than the US had in the previous three years. The Deloitte report indicates that countries that will be able to be the first to implement a 5G network will seize the initiative, receiving a "disproportionately large share of the benefit" as the high-speed network will be a harbinger of a new "era of previously untapped potential."

US lags behind China in 5G race

Since 2015, China has spent $24 billion on developing a new network and installed 350,000 new cell towers, while the United States has less than 30,000. The report also noted that installing equipment needed to connect operators to 5G costs 35% less in China than in the United States.

This report was released after the US Federal Communications Commission announced new rules for bidding on the use of high-frequency spectrum, which are expected to be applied in the future for 5G.

Deloitte director Dan Littmann said that "in order for the United States to remain competitive and ultimately become economic leaders, it is necessary to assess the state of preparation of 5G networks as soon as possible and take the necessary measures."

The report noted that the United States could still catch up with China, but to do so recommended speeding up the deployment of networks, encouraging mobile companies to cooperate and implementing a database of statistics and best practices.^[10]

Hong Kong to give away 5G frequencies for free for fast network launch

In July 2018, Hong Kong authorities said there would be no charge for 5G frequencies. The rejection of the standard mechanism for allocating radio frequencies - auction bidding between operators - should speed up the deployment of fifth-generation networks.

The agency responsible for the distribution of frequencies has promised not to charge a fee for their allocation to 5G operators if demand does not exceed 75% of the supply. In 2019, it is planned to open for use two sections with a width of 4.1 GHz in the millimeter wave bands of 26 GHz and 28 GHz as the first bands to provide communication in the 5G standard.

Like many other developed countries, Hong Kong is in the economic race to introduce new technologies that will allow mobile networks to maintain a huge number of simultaneous high-speed connections. Most countries are expected to launch 5G networks from 2020.

Hong Kong Trade and Economic Development Secretary Edward Yau Tang-wah noted that the new initiative cannot be considered charity, because 5G is not only for communication - it should ensure the further development of the Internet of things, "smart cities" and many other applications. However, so far not many industry players have expressed interest in using the spectrum of such frequencies - it is assumed that they will use less than 75% of the power.

The new government initiative will significantly reduce the cost of the new technology, which means it will reduce the time to deploy it. However, the communications department warned that this could affect the cost of tariffs, because the fee for other functions of mobile phones is only 3-4% of the operating costs.

The Hong Kong government has launched a public consultation system on the proposal, and authorities said telecoms companies and other market participants could apply for high-frequency spectrum from the end of 2018. Frequencies of this spectrum will become available from April 2019, so that operators can begin planning to launch their 5G services in 2020. To do this, they must install a minimum of 5,000 new base stations.^[11]

China Mobile, Intel and Huawei test 5G NR technology for compatibility

China Mobile (CMCC), Intel and Huawei on June 14, 2018 announced the completion of 5G Development Compatibility Testing (IODT) under the latest 3GPP Release15 standard frozen in March. This is the first multi-platform trial of its kind with a single protocol, a single channel and a single procedure, which showed that a 5G network and 5G terminals from different providers can support various services based on improved mobile broadband (eMBB) technology, including ultra-high resolution video and virtual reality (VR) services.

Test data transfer rate up to 1.5 GB/s

The tests were conducted at the China Mobile Research Institute and allowed to test the principles underlying the 3GPP 5G NR standard, as well as establish the relationship between the standard-compliant "new radio" terminal and the network. When integrating the Massive MIMO 64T64R configuration into the experimental base station model and the Intel 2T4R terminal, it is assumed that the data transfer rate will reach 1.5 Gb/s, which will provide support for 8K video and VR services. In 2018, China Mobile plans to conduct 5G trials in several major cities, which cannot be achieved without the support of commercial terminals.

The trial paved the way for a large-scale test of 5G technology. This year, China Mobile will introduce the first version of the specifications for commercial use of 5G and launch the first pre-commercial terminals in 2019, which could play an important role in segments such as fixed home access, industrial video (industry video) and smart production, said Huang Yuhong, vice president of the China Mobile Research Institute.

Huawei E2E Open Lab 5G

In April 2018, China Mobile and Huawei opened an integrated Open Lab E2E laboratory in Beijing based on 5G standards. The laboratory provides comprehensive 5G tools and solutions to partners from various sectors, to promote cross-industry converged development and implementation of new technologies.

Notes