China’s three 5G networks, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have all announced that they are rolling out 5G services on Friday. This is a key play in China’s bid to become a technology superpower, whilst being locked in a trade war with the US.
Largest 5G network in the world
The three telecoms will be simultaneously launching their 5G services on Friday, bringing ultra-fast mobile internet to Chinese consumers. Beijing had said that it would launch 5G next year, but the trade war between the US prompted China to accelerate its plans.
“China will have the largest commercial operating 5G network in the world on Friday, and the scale of its network and the price of its 5G services will have a pivotal impact throughout the supply chain,” said analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein in a report this week.
China plans to install 50,000 5G base stations across 50 Chinese cities in the country by the end of this year.
Anticipation of roll out
Chinese companies have been preparing for the launch of 5G. Xiaomi plans to launch more than 10 5G phones next year, as it fears that consumers will stop buying 4G models. On top of this, Huawei expects to see a revenue uplift next year thanks to 5G.
China also recently unveiled its first 5G smart town, Wuzhen. People in the town can download a high-resolution movie on their phones in just one second.
China’s 5G roll out is set to put western counterparts in the shade, and we could easily see the technology begin to overtake other countries, including the US, with Chinese telecoms already amassing 9 million 5G subscribers ahead of the launch.
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