China launches World's largest super fast 5G services
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ISLAMABAD - China’s three major state-run telecom operators have unveiled their super fast 5G network across the country, becoming the global leader in next generation telecom technology, Chinese media reported.
State-owned carriers China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom unveiled their 5G data plans. The three firms in simultaneous moves unveiled their monthly 5G plans with prices ranging from 128 yuan (about Rs 1,289) to 599 yuan (Rs 6,030). Subscribers will be able to enjoy connections way faster than 4G and less expensive data per gigabyte, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. 5G is the next generation cellular technology with download speeds stated to be 10 to 100 times faster than the current 4G LTE networks.
The 5G networking standard is seen as critical because it can support the next generation of mobile devices in addition to new applications like driverless cars.
The 5G commercial services are now available in 50 cities, including major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Shanghai had activated 11,859 5G base stations by mid-October, which will support the 5G network coverage across the city’s key outdoor areas, the report said. The three major mobile operators have already registered over 10 million 5G users before the official commercialisation launch, it said.
The country is expected to have over 600 million 5G subscribers by 2025, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the global total, according to Sihan Bo Chen, head of GSMA China.
Major handset makers are jumping on the broadband wagon. Eighteen 5G smartphone varieties were rolled out in the first three quarters of this year, and some 787,000 5G handsets were shipped, according to a research institute with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Wang Zhiqin, deputy director of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology under the MIIT, said 5G technology will provide key infrastructure for the development of China’s digital economy, and the combination of 5G with artificial intelligence, big data and other technologies will revolutionize the form of the digital economy.
