5G technology will play a vital role in fields including industrial internet, online education and telemedicine, and also in driving consumption upgrading in China, as the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) vowed to accelerate 5G network buildouts and applications.

A staff member shows a 5G-powered remote driving system during a press preview for the 2019 World 5G Convention in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 20, 2019.  (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

5G has contributed not only to bringing the coronavirus epidemic under control and getting people back to work, but also to promoting investment, consumption and economic upgrading and cultivating new driving forces for economic growth, Chen Zhaoxiong, MIIT vice minister, said at a recent symposium on faster 5G development.

In a recent notice, the ministry called for more innovative applications in 5G, saying that it would explore the application of the technology in online education along with other technologies such as 4K/8K live video, as well as VR and AR technologies, and in industry to make the manufacturing industry digitalized, networked and intelligent.

5G technology will also be used to upgrade information consumption and the retail sector, and drive emerging consumption, said Liu Xiangdong, deputy director of the economic research department of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges in Beijing.

Liu added that the technology is expected to bring about new business models, as well as consumption scenarios including smart devices and new products.

The MIIT’s data shows that China had built 130,000 5G base stations by the end of 2019, and shipments of 5G smartphones had topped 5.5 million this January, accounting for 25 percent of the total.

80 percent of the country’s 5G network construction progressed as scheduled in the first two months. Chinese telecom giant China Mobile has already built over 80,000 5G base stations, and is expected to complete 300,000 more in 2020. In addition, it has secured 10 million 5G mobile subscribers.