Enhanced version of 5G accessible in Beijing

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Some China Mobile users near Beijing's west third ring area found their "5G" cellphone signal turning into "5G-A" on Friday, meaning they had access to a network more than 5 times faster than 5G.

The China Mobile staff's on-site speed measurement showed that the download rate of 5G-A exceeded 2Gbps, which means that a 5GB movie can be downloaded in about 20 seconds.

"Simply speaking, 5G-A is an enhanced version of 5G, a transition from 5G to 6G," said Zhu Shijun with China Mobile's Beijing branch, who added that the 5G-A network will successively cover 18 areas, including Beijing Chang'an Avenue, Financial Street, Beijing Capital International Airport, and the central area of Beijing Olympic Park.

According to statistics from Beijing Communications Administration, as of the end of April, Beijing has built a total of 114,500 5G base stations. There are 52 5G base stations per 10,000 people, ranking first in the country.

More than 20,000 5G-A base stations will be built within three years, said Su Shaolin, director of Beijing Communications Administration.