China 5G News and Developments

[TaiShang]

First 5G base stations installed in Tibet, a step that will drive economy

By Zhang Hongpei and Zhang Hui Source:Global Times Published: 2019/3/1

Visitors browse latest information about China's 5G technology at an event held in Guangzhou on Friday. Photo: VCG



Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region's first three 5G base stations have been installed, with equipment provided by Chinese technology giant Huawei.

China Mobile's Tibet branch announced on Friday that one of the 5G base stations, with a peak download speed of 530 megabytes per second (MBps), became operational in Lhasa on Wednesday, news site chinanews.com reported on Friday.

China Mobile installed the 5G base stations at the company's building, the Lhasa posts and telecommunications school and at the office of the Tibet Post Group in Lhasa. The base station at the Lhasa posts and telecommunications school is now operational, according to news site tibet.cn.

Xiang Ligang, chief executive of telecom industry news site cctime.com, told the Global Times on Friday that construction of the 5G network in the remote areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau faces challenges from cold weather and high altitude.

"Electricity supply alone is a complex process," Xiang noted, adding that optical fiber tends to lack stability in cold weather. Xiang insists the obstacles will be overcome. "It is important to realize synchronous development of 5G service between Tibet and other regions in China, which is a move we've been talking about since 4G kicked in," said Xiang.

The next step for China Mobile's Tibet office will be to accelerate the testing of the 5G application and promote the development of the big data industry and innovation of the Internet of Things based on 5G technology in Tibet, which will enable residents living in farming areas in Tibet to enjoy advanced modern communication services, the tibet.cn reported.

"Transport, communications, and energy are equally important in driving a region's economic development," Xiang said.

 

[cirr]

Central Beijing to get 5G in 2019

2019-03-04 09:31:45 Global Times Editor : Li Yan

A 5G base station installed and operated by China Mobile on Chaoyang Road in Beijing's Central Business District, on Friday (Photo: Zhang Dan/GT)

Special: NPC, CPPCC Sessions 2019

Central Beijing to get 5G in 2019 as network construction will cover strategic areas

5G - a fifth-generation mobile network - has appeared at China's two sessions press center. From central Beijing's Tiananmen Square to the southeastern Beijing sub-center, the city is taking the lead to speed up 5G rollout.

Reporters who come to Beijing to cover the annual meetings could get a first taste of 5G technology, such as transferring photos or videos at fast speeds, watching the two sessions conference live wearing virtual reality glasses, and using the high-speed wireless internet on designated computers. All of these facilities are powered by 5G, China Unicom told the Global Times at the two sessions press center on Sunday.

Twenty-five provinces and cities nationwide are testing 5G networks, according to Zhang Yunyong, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the China Unicom Research Institute.

Zhang added that a few 5G mobile phones will hit the market in the second half of this year. "It only takes three seconds to download a high-definition movie of 1GB with 5G," Zhang said in the delegates' corridor during the two sessions on Sunday.

Another state-owned telecom operator, China Mobile, plans to cover the area within the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing with 5G by the end of this year, Liu Yu, head of the planning and technology department at China Mobile Beijing branch, told the Global Times on Friday. "We have already installed 5G base stations alongside Chang'an Avenue, Tiananmen Square, the sub-center of Beijing, at China Central Television, in the Central Business District and at the National Stadium in Beijing," Liu said.

Liu also said that in 2019, 5G network construction will prioritize Bejiing's new airport and the 2022 Winter Olympics facilities. Adopting both frequencies of 2.6GHz and 4.9GHz for its 5G trials, China Mobile has to build more base stations with higher frequencies in order to serve high-traffic scenarios. But the 2.6GHz frequency can help save operation and maintenance costs in the longer term, according to Liu.

Wang Bo, a regional construction manager at China Mobile Beijing branch, is responsible for 5G base station construction in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Bearing great pressure to meet the company's target, he said 30 to 40 outdoor 5G base stations are required just in the populous CBD area. Usually, his team can finish deploying two 5G base stations a day.

"We have tested our 5G base stations' download speed, which could reach 600-700 Mbps outdoors. Now, the internet speed for a entire residential quarter is only 100 Mbps," Wang noted.

Both Liu and Wang agreed that 5G will better facilitate AI networks, the Industrial Internet of Things, autonomous driving, intelligent agriculture, telemedicine and distance education.

"China lagged behind during the 3G era but caught up with others in the 4G era. Now, China can take the lead in 5G era," Liu said, adding the country's advantages are its long-term technological accumulation and its manufacturing ability, which could meet customers' demand to speed up network speeds and lower prices.

A telecom industry insider who declined to give his name told the Global Times that foreign countries will lose more than China if they continue to block Chinese companies' 5G equipment. He added with comprehensive supply chains and intelligent manufacturing, China has a great ability to lower its production costs, and is likely to win the 5G competition.

http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2019-03-04/detail-ifzezqac5081724.shtml

 

[TaiShang]

Guangzhou internet court relying on 5G to proceed litigations

Source:Global Times Published: 2019/3/3

An internet court in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province recently relied on 5G technology to try a lawsuit.

The litigation involved a dispute over the rights to use a photograph, news agency xinhuanet.com reported on Sunday.

The defendant was sued over alleged infringement of the use of the photo on a WeChat account. Based on speedier transmission and low latency, which are hallmarks of 5G, a display screen was able to show the details of the photo clearly, which helped the judge come to a decision.

In the case, the hearing lasted one hour, and the defendant was fined 1,000 yuan ($149) for illicit use of the photo.

Deputy head of the court, Tian Hui, was quoted as saying that cloud computing and 5G networks can support 400-500 online trials simultaneously, and judges can set specific questions in the form of bullet-point screens for the parties to select, which can efficiently help to judge cases in which there are many plaintiffs, particularly in financial disputes.

In addition, 5G encryption technology can help protect the parties' privacy.

The internet court heard 1,575 cases from September 2018 to February 28, 2019, with most involving disputes over copyrights infringement or financial disputes which occurred online.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1140705.shtml

 

[TaiShang]

China's 5G smartphones to be widely used in 2020

CGTN, March 4, 2019

5G technology [Photo/Xinhua]

China's 5G smartphones will be available in the second half of 2019, and can be widely used next year, Zhang Yunyong, president of the China Unicom Research Institute, told the press on Sunday ahead of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

"As long as you get a 5G smartphone this time next year, you will have access to the 5G network, in the 5G era. Movie download times can be reduced to within seconds, and the efficiency is largely enhanced," he added when asked what kind of changes the 5G network will bring to people.

He then described a series of scenarios both in office and at home that were previously the domain of sci-fi, showing 5G-powered devices and services that people can enjoy in the near future.

So far, 25 provinces in China have conducted 5G trials, and the live signals of this year's Spring Festival Gala and the "Two Sessions," namely the plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the CPPCC, were transmitted via the 5G network with faster speed and lower latency compared with 4G, he explained.

Clearly, the 5G race is heating up and entering a critical period. If the past few years were about testing and developing the technology, it's time to quit paying lip service and start demonstrating some real applications.

 

[TaiShang]

China to spend up to US$224B on 5G by 2025

chinadaily.com.cn, March 5, 2019

Visitors experience 5G technology at the 19th China Hi-Tech Fair in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, Nov. 19, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

China is forecast to spend 900 billion yuan ($134 billion) to 1.5 trillion yuan ($224 billion) on 5G network construction from 2020 to 2025.

The spending will come as the country scrambles to commercialize fifth-generation communications technology, a think tank affiliated with the country's top industry regulator said on Monday.

China's telecom carriers are expected to generate 1.9 trillion yuan ($284 billion) in total revenue from 5G-related business during the same period, according to an article published by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

The publication is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

During the initial stage of 5G network construction, telecom carriers will first cover China's most populated regions, while the work is expected to coordinate with existing 4G networks, the article said.

http://www.china.org.cn/business/2019-03/05/content_74532813.htm

 

[TaiShang]

Events in two cities this past week might have changed 5G history

Liu Xin - 10-Mar-2019

This week, events unfolding in two Chinese cities could change 5G history.

In Beijing, delegates from all over China are attending annual meetings to shape the country's future. In the southern city of Shenzhen, Chinese tech giant Huawei unveiled a lawsuit against the U.S. government for banning it from entering the U.S. market.

In delivering a draft government work report in Beijing, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang did not mention 5G. But analysts saw this word clearly written between the lines when he explained China's plan to exploit network technology to boost the economy and better service the people.

For the first time in history, journalists covering the event got a taste of trial 5G connections.

How about ordinary people? When asked about when China would issue the first commercial 5G license, Miao Wei, China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology told reporters on the sidelines of the event "Very soon." The head of a Chinese telecom research institute revealed 5G smartphones would hit the market later this year, before being widely used next year.

Also this week, in Shenzhen, at the headquarters of Huawei, six top executives declared live to the world that they have sued the U.S. government over the unconstitutionality of its legal ban on Huawei's equipment to enter the U.S. market.

"The U.S. has repeatedly failed to produce any evidence to support the ban," said Huawei's rotating chairman Guo Ping, "We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort."

So, while the Chinese government strives to be the frontrunner in 5G applications, the U.S. has yet to make up its mind about what to do with the best opportunity so far. What a drastic contrast. But what does it mean for both countries?

U.S. politicians, lawmakers, and media are going to have lengthy debates on the lawfulness of the ban. But technology won't wait. Nor will developers and users in China or elsewhere.

Huawei says its technology is months ahead of its competitors while being cheaper and simpler. As the clock ticks, such a lead could widen. Whether the U.S. government wins or loses the case against Huawei, they will have likely missed the first 5G train.

Is there a way out? Huawei has offered to cooperate with the U.S. government to dispel any security concerns. British intelligence authorities have reportedly concluded that any risks could be mitigated.

Has the U.S. government the will and open-mindedness to work with Huawei on the issue? We can only hope so.

Looking at what has happened in Beijing and Shenzhen this week, the window of opportunity appears to be open for Huawei and China but closing for the U.S.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d314d6a4d33457a6333566d54/index.html

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese Railroad Starts Using 5G Networks to Speed Up Data Transfers

DOU SHICONG
DATE : MAR 14 2019/SOURCE : YICAI

Chinese Railroad Starts Using 5G Networks to Speed Up Data Transfers

(Yicai Global) March 14 -- A railroad operator in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has begun using a data system powered by fifth-generation wireless networks to transfer and store information about its trains.

The railroad began trialing the system, created by rolling stock giant CRRC and telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies, in November, China News Service reported today. It can transfer and store 55 gigabytes of onboard data in just 10 minutes, or 100 times faster than wireless local area networks under the same working conditions.

Trains generate masses of information while running and this needs to be stored once the vehicles head back for maintenance so support crews can analyze the data. For most trains in China, attendants manually transfer the data using a portable hard drive -- which leaves room for human error and damage to the disk. Operators worldwide often use 3G or 4G networks for the same task.

The network will effectively solve data issues and anomalies that result from manual operations, the report said, adding that it will provide train operators with an abundance of data.

Similar systems can also be used for intercity railroads, wind power generation and in new-energy vehicles, the report added.

https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/ch...-using-5g-networks-to-speed-up-data-transfers

 

[cirr]

China completes world's first remote cooperative surgery using 5G

2019-03-14 13:22:23 Global Times Editor : Li Yan

Doctors in Beijing and Shenzhen, about 2,000 kilometers apart, cooperated in a surgical operation using 5G technology, the first multi-center remote cooperative surgery in the world, according to domestic media reports.

Seated in a 5G center located in Beijing, Dong Jiahong, executive dean of Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital, did pre-surgery discussions and provided remote technical guidance to doctors in a Shenzhen hospital who actually did the surgery.

Dong's real-time participation in the surgery was realized by 5G and Mixed Reality technologies, according to the reports. The 5G center and technologies were provided by Chinese telecom operator China Unicom.

China Unicom has not responded to an interview request as of press time.

This remote cooperation operation made with the help of 5G technologies is an example of how the commercialization of 5G technologies is speeding up in China.

According to a report on news portal yicai.com, China is expected to start 5G pre-commercialization in 2019 and will roll out large-scale 5G commercialization in 2020.

Major Chinese telecom operators are investing large sums in 5G construction. A yicai.com report noted that China Unicom is planning to invest about 6 billion yuan ($894 million) to 8 billion yuan in 5G in 2019. China Mobile also signed a 1 billion euro contract with Nokia in 2018 to invest in 5G.

http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2019-03-14/detail-ifzfmzhu2189805.shtml

 

[TaiShang]

China completes world's first remote cooperative surgery using 5G

2019-03-14 13:22:23 Global Times Editor : Li Yan

Doctors in Beijing and Shenzhen, about 2,000 kilometers apart, cooperated in a surgical operation using 5G technology, the first multi-center remote cooperative surgery in the world, according to domestic media reports.

Seated in a 5G center located in Beijing, Dong Jiahong, executive dean of Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital, did pre-surgery discussions and provided remote technical guidance to doctors in a Shenzhen hospital who actually did the surgery.

Dong's real-time participation in the surgery was realized by 5G and Mixed Reality technologies, according to the reports. The 5G center and technologies were provided by Chinese telecom operator China Unicom.

China Unicom has not responded to an interview request as of press time.

This remote cooperation operation made with the help of 5G technologies is an example of how the commercialization of 5G technologies is speeding up in China.

According to a report on news portal yicai.com, China is expected to start 5G pre-commercialization in 2019 and will roll out large-scale 5G commercialization in 2020.

Major Chinese telecom operators are investing large sums in 5G construction. A yicai.com report noted that China Unicom is planning to invest about 6 billion yuan ($894 million) to 8 billion yuan in 5G in 2019. China Mobile also signed a 1 billion euro contract with Nokia in 2018 to invest in 5G.

http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2019-03-14/detail-ifzfmzhu2189805.shtml

This may be good news for you, my friend @Viva_Viet

 

[name]

This may be good news for you, my friend @Viva_Viet

haha TaiShang ) =)) =))

 

[TaiShang]

Palace Museum to get 5G technology

Xinhua, March 16, 2019

When visitors to the gigantic Palace Museum complex in Beijing feel a need to sit down for a cup of tea or find a bathroom without a long line, they soon will be able to turn to their smartphones for the information they need.

[Photo/China Daily]
This modern-day solution at the venerable compound comes thanks to an agreement signed on Friday by the museum and Huawei Co, the telecommunication giant, to build a "smart network" using 5G technology, the fifth generation of mobile network communications.

Under the agreement, 5G Wi-Fi signals will cover the 720,000-square-meter compound, China's imperial palace from 1420 to 1911 and also known as the Forbidden City, and the branch museum of the institution under construction in northwestern Beijing.

But visitor comfort is not the only benefit of a 5G smart network.

Huawei will also provide the museum with cutting-edge technologies for the internet of things-devices or objects linked in a network-cloud computing and artificial intelligence to facilitate such functions as management, security and preservation of cultural relics.

"It's essential to always stay close to the latest technology to better serve the public," said Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum.

Shan said there is still much room for improvement in the handling of a huge number of cultural relics, such as when the priceless painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival is exhibited again next year.

The Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) landscape painting is considered the best-known ancient Chinese work of art. When it was last exhibited in 2015, visitors stood in long lines until 3 am to get a glimpse. The museum ended up preparing instant noodles to serve the hungry visitors.

"I don't want that scenario to recur," Shan said. "Our operation can be done in a more scientific way."

The new system will make use of the more than 3,000 closed-circuit television cameras that are installed all over the Palace Museum. Shan said facial-recognition technology will determine which areas are most popular with frequent visitors in order to analyze their preferences.

"We can later, accordingly, provide useful information on our exhibitions," he said.

The CCTV cameras also are used to safeguard the museum's precious relics. More than 1.86 million of them are housed at the museum, which logged 17.5 million visits from the public in 2018, topping all museums worldwide.

"How can we make sure no single visitor who might have evil ideas threatens these treasures?" Shan said. "After adopting the internet of things, we can instantly detect any motion involving the artifacts to prevent such threats."

Such a networked system also will be used to facilitate management of inventory and closely supervise transportation and exhibition of cultural relics.

New technologies can assist the museum staff in other ways, too, said Wang Tao, a member of Huawei's board of directors.

The company will use algorithms to more efficiently draft tailored plans for restoring cultural relics after information on similar pieces and files on each collection are included in a database.

"We can thus combine old craftsmen's experience and artificial intelligence," Wang said.

The 5G network also will be used to improve remote consultation through webcams, which will facilitate conversations with overseas scholars to jointly find the best answers for restoration and preservation issues, he said.

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2019-03/16/content_74578187.htm

 

[cirr]

This may be good news for you, my friend @Viva_Viet

China performs first 5G-based remote surgery on human brain

2019-03-17 13:09:48 CGTN Editor : Li Yan

A patient suffering from Parkinson's disease has received China's first 5G-based remote surgery with a deep brain stimulation (DBS) implant, according to local media.

Chinese PLA General Hospital (PLAGH), with the help of China Mobile and Huawei 5G technology, carried out the operation on Saturday.

Conducted by Ling Zhipei, chief physician of the First Medical Center of the Beijing-based PLAGH and Department of Neurosurgery of PLAGH's Hainan Hospital, the surgery lasted for about three hours.

Ling started the operation at 9:00 a.m. in Sanya City, manipulating the surgical instruments 3,000 kilometers away in Beijing with micron precision on a computer through a 5G network, and successfully implanted the DBS at the optimal target site.

"I feel good," said the patient after the surgery.

"I take turns working in Beijing and Hainan, and the operation took place during my Hainan rotation. A patient with Parkinson's in Beijing needed surgery and couldn't fly to Hainan," said Ling.

"The 5G network has solved problems like video lag and remote control delay experienced under the 4G network, ensuring a nearly real-time operation. And you barely feel that the patient is 3,000 kilometers away."

In the future, high-quality and high-level experts from superior hospitals will be able to operate remotely and directly on patients in remote areas through remote surgery, completing operations which were previously difficult to finish at the grassroots-level hospitals, Ling added.

The success of the remote surgery has realized a major breakthrough in China's telemedicine, from remote observation, consultation and guidance to operation.

As one of the most common diseases among the aging population, Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder that leads to impairment of voluntary movements, as well as trembling, slowness and stiffness.

There were 6.1 million individuals with Parkinson's disease globally in 2016, compared with 2.5 million in 1990, according to a report published in The Lancet Neurology.

Although there is no cure for the disease, DBS can be a life-changing treatment for some people.

A successful operation allows people to potentially reduce their medications and improve their quality of life.

Actually, this is not the first remote surgery successfully conducted with the support of 5G technology.

Last Tuesday, a complicated hepatic operation was done in a hospital in Shenzhen under the real-time instructions of an expert in Beijing, thanks to the high-definition images transmitted through live-streaming enabled by the high-speed 5G Internet.

Originally, the Shenzhen People's Hospital, where the operation was conducted, sought on-site surgical planning and guidance from Dong Jiahong, an internationally renowned hepatic surgeon based in Tsinghua Chang Gung Hospital in Beijing, as the surgery was too difficult for local doctors to handle.

But thanks to the low latency, large bandwidth and high reliability of the 5G Internet transmission, Dong was able to supervise the real-time situation in the operation room 2,200 kilometers away in Shenzhen and give instructions.

Before that, the doctors in the two hospitals had jointly conducted an online assessment of the patient and completed the accurate design of the surgery.

"The advent of the 5G era has enabled doctors to carry out remote multi-party preoperative planning and surgical collaboration," Dong said, as restrictions on time and space are broken.

The remote surgery powered by 5G technology is one of the latest attempts of people working in different sectors. Its success has paved the way for future relevant research and bridged the gap of medical resource imbalance among different regions.

As 5G technology becomes more mature, its applications in the transportation, agriculture and healthcare industries are bound to flourish even more than the 4G era.

http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2019-03-17/detail-ifzfmzhu2192467.shtml

 

[TaiShang]

Will China roll out its 5G technology for commercial use in 2019?

Pan Zhaoyi - 18-Mar-2019

If the data transmission speed of the 4G network is 10 times faster than the 3G network, then 5G is far beyond that.

It was said that 2018 was the year of 5G in China. Self-driving vehicles, high-resolution livestreaming, smartphones, remote surgeries – the entire industry is painting a wonderful future powered by 5G technology for the Chinese people.

What will happen in 2019? Will the country live up to the hype of rolling out 5G technology for commercial use this year?

VCG Photo


Well, the answer is yes and no.

The first specification of the 5G standard – Release 15 launched by 3GPP last June heralded the manufacturing permission of 5G-enabled chips, smartphones, devices, as well as some gadgets.

Followed by the standard are the breakthroughs made by telecom operators and suppliers.

According to Xinhua News Agency, China Mobile, one of the three major telecom operators in China, has filed more than 1,000 patents in 5G technology research. Another major player, China Telecom, leads over 30 international projects in terms of 5G standard setting.

China's Huawei and ZTE, two heavyweights in the domestic telecom industry, have also done their utmost to push 5G development.

By the end of 2018, Huawei has won over 25 commercial contracts, shipping more than 10,000 base stations for 5G, according to Hu Houkun, Huawei's rotating chairman.

Huawei is leading the 5G deployment /VCG Photo

The destiny for the 5G network

It seems that 5G is almost in your sight. But actually, things are not as simple. A lot still has to be done before the technology becomes fully available.

Problems from hardware implementation to the financial burden of network construction are just a few of the concerns.

5G can't reach its fullest potential without the wide deployment of the necessary hardware and supporting equipment like antennas, towers and wiring.

What's more, there must be rigorous testing before the technology becomes fully available. A 5G smartphone will be a catch-22 until telecom operators are fully prepared to roll out their promised 5G network.

"China can and will have the 5G commercial applications in 2019, but not on a large scale," said Ge Qi, head of strategic engagement, GSMA Greater China.

Ge predicted that the commercial use of 5G technology is just the beginning, but the large-scale application has to wait for at least 2-3 years.

For consumers, it's likely that people will start enjoying 5G-supported services in the second half of 2019 or in 2020, he added.

When human communicates with the machine /VCG Photo

In fact, 3G and 4G will not be replaced by the galloping 5G network in the short run. Instead, the deployment of 5G technology is a step-by-step process which requires efforts from the government, relevant companies and customer support.

The Internet of Things and Internet of Vehicles may be the first stage in revolutionizing the way people work, live and travel since almost everything in our daily life will be connected to the Internet.

And when it comes to the nature of the technology, that may go far beyond than just faster speed.

Communication is no longer a human privilege. Things can also "talk" to each other once they are all "online."

https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774e3249444e33457a6333566d54/index.html

 

[TaiShang]

Guangzhou to boost bus stops with 5G

By Qiu Quanlin in Guangzhou | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-03-19

Passengers watch live video via a 5G network on a bus in Nanning city, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on March 13, 2019. [Photo/IC]
Guangzhou Jumbo Bus Group, a bus investment and operation company, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Guangzhou branch of China Telecom to upgrade bus stops and related projects with 5G technology last Saturday.

Under the first 5G bus project in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, all company buses in the city will be upgraded with 5G technology by the end of the year.

The company, which now operates about 300 lines with 6,200 buses in Guangzhou, Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Hangzhou of Zhejiang province and Urumqi of the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, will upgrade its bus facilities with the 5G technology in these four cities.

Following the 5G technology upgrade, onboard video technology, driver-monitoring system and positioning system will be more efficient, according to the agreement.

"The technology will help boost bus operation efficiency," said Xing Jian, president of the Jumbo Bus Group.

The company is now investing in a large new energy bus industrial project in Guangzhou, with an investment of 2.5 billion yuan ($37.24 million).

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201903/19/WS5c90a492a3106c65c34ef78e.html

 

[TaiShang]

Network growth to make nation biggest 5G market

China Daily, March 21, 2019

China is set to become the world's largest 5G market, with 460 million users of the next-generation superfast network by 2025, a report released on Wednesday said.

A 5G-tech promotion stand at the recent China International Import Expo in Shanghai. [Photo by Jin Rong/For China Daily]

This is expected to occur as the nation plays a pioneering role in constructing the network and experimenting with cutting-edge applications such as remote surgeries, the report said.

The user number in China is forecast to be higher than that of Europe (205 million) and the United States (187 million) combined, according to the report released in Beijing by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, which represents the interests of more than 750 mobile operators worldwide.

Mats Granryd, director general of GSMA, said, "After spending billions over the last decade deploying 4G networks to all corners of the country, Chinese mobile operators are now set to invest a further $58 billion over the next two years to prepare for and begin 5G rollouts, laying the groundwork for China to become one of the world's leading 5G markets."

Backed by 5G, China's mobile ecosystem is expected to add 6 trillion yuan in value to the national economy in 2023, up from 5.2 trillion yuan last year, the report added.

"China's mobile industry has been a key driver of economic growth, inclusion and modernization－creating a new generation of digital consumers and transforming industry and society," Granryd added.

The report came as China's big three mobile operators－China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom－are scrambling to con-duct trial operations of 5G systems in a string of cities. They are aiming to fully commercialize the technology in 2020.

Hu Houkun, rotating chairman of telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co, said 5G is not just at least 10 times faster than 4G.

Its massive capacity to connect things and extremely fast response speed will bring "revolutionary" changes, such as putting almost everything online to boost efficiency, Hu said.

"These changes are right before our eyes," Hu said. "This year, 5G will also play a vital part in triggering explosive growth in virtual reality and augmented reality because it can solve all the technological bottlenecks that are blocking the industry's development," Hu added.

On Saturday, with technological support from Huawei and China Mobile, a patient with Parkinson's disease underwent China's first 5G-based remote surgery.

A doctor in Sanya, Hainan province, remotely manipulated surgical instruments to implant a deep brain stimulator known as a 'brain pacemaker' into the patient who was around 2,500 kilometers away in Beijing.

Wang Jianzhou, former chairman of China Mobile, said the surgery marks a big step in applying 5G to traditional sectors.

"The era of 5G is just around the corner, for the global community has moved beyond just talking about network construction. Instead, they are working hard to experiment with application scenarios," Wang said.

China's traditional sectors are showing a strong interest in partnering with telecom companies to explore 5G, he said.

That's significant because one of the greatest promises of 5G lies in its integration with a wide range of sectors, and China can play a leading role in the process, Wang said.