China's financial hub Shanghai plans to boost 5G coverage

SHANGHAI, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's financial hub Shanghai is expected to have over 77,000 5G base stations by the end of 2023 as part of the city's efforts to boost 5G coverage, local authorities said.

More than 4,000 commercial buildings and major public buildings would achieve indoor 5G coverage, and 90 percent of the city would have access to 5G services by the end of next year, according to an action plan released by the Shanghai Communications Administration.

The plan also noted that the average download speed in the city's key areas will reach 1,000 Mbps, while the upload speed will hit 200 Mbps.

Shanghai will leverage the 5G technology to push its digital transformation. In 2023, it will promote the use of 5G in various sectors including medical services, education, tourism and transport.

China has built the world's largest 5G network. By the end of August this year, the country had over 2.1 million 5G base stations, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The number of 5G mobile users in China hit 475 million by the end of July.