5G commercialization in its third year: a new prosperity

"As of the end of September, the total number of mobile communication base stations in my country reached 10.72 million. Among them, the total number of 5G base stations reached 2.22 million, a net increase of 795,000 over the end of last year, accounting for 20.7% of the total number of mobile base stations." This set of data comes from the "Economic Operation of the Communications Industry in the First Three Quarters of 2022" recently announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. From the first step of 5G's official commercial use in 2019 to the million base stations built today, the "textbook" development of 5G in China over the past three years has not only made great contributions to the development of the country's digital economy, but also attracted the attention of the world. Looking back over the past three years, how many "fruits" have been achieved in the development of 5G?

After three years of commercial use, 5G has already entered the homes of ordinary people

Over the past three years, my country's 5G development has been mainly divided into two major directions, namely, the coordinated development of To B and To C. The most intuitive aspect of To C is the development of 5G users of the three major operators. According to the financial reports released by the three major operators not long ago, the total number of 5G package users of the three major operators has exceeded the 1 billion mark. As of September this year, the 5G package users of China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom reached 251 million, 557 million and 201 million respectively. In addition, the 5G utilization rate of the three operators has exceeded 50%, and the ARPU is also close to RMB 50. In June this year, China Radio and Television, the "fourth largest operator", also officially joined the 5G family, providing more diverse choices for the development of 5G users.

The development of 5G To C can also be seen in terminals. According to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, from January to August 2022, the total shipments of mobile phones in my country's domestic market totaled 175 million units, of which 138 million were 5G mobile phones, accounting for 78.9% of mobile phone shipments in the same period. In other words, out of ten people who buy smartphones, eight of them choose to buy 5G smartphones. In addition, as the biggest "dark horse" in the development of 5G To C, 5G messaging has also made a great contribution to the development of 5G.

In addition, the new 5G digital life represented by 5G+4K/8K and 5G+AR/VR has also brought unprecedented wonderful experience to users. China Mobile has comprehensively explored the "5G+X" application scenarios, creating colorful applications such as 5G ultra-clear video, cloud XR, cloud games, and virtual digital people, allowing the people to enjoy the new paradigm of digital life; China Unicom focuses on the six major consumer application markets of live broadcast, film and television, tourism, games, shopping, and entertainment, and has upgraded and released the 5G new communication with the four characteristics of "clear, secure, intelligent, and dazzling".

In this thriving development, the comprehensive construction of 5G network has contributed greatly. As of the end of September, the total number of mobile communication base stations in my country reached 10.72 million, and the total number of 5G base stations reached 2.22 million. At present, China Mobile has woven the world's largest 5G boutique network with wide coverage and deep coverage. So far, China Mobile has opened more than 1.25 million 5G base stations, accounting for half of the country's 5G base stations and one-third of the world's 5G base stations. More than 480,000 700MHz 5G base stations have been built and shared with China Radio and Television; at the same time, China Telecom has also built the world's first 5G independent networking co-construction and sharing network with China Unicom, the largest scale and fastest speed in the industry, with a total of 967,000 5G base stations opened, achieving continuous coverage of key townships and above.

After three years of “setting sail”, 5G applications are living up to expectations and moving forward

In three years, my country's 5G applications have flourished and entered a new stage of large-scale exploration. With the steady development of the To C field, 5G development has gradually focused on 5G industry applications. At present, 15 industries out of 20 categories of the national economy and 39 industries out of 97 major categories have applied 5G. Especially after the launch of the 5G "Sailing" action plan, 5G industry applications have become an inevitable trend in the development of 5G. From smart mines in Inner Mongolia to "dark light" factories in Nanjing, from Youngor's 5G fully connected factories to JD Logistics' 5G "neural network", 5G is injecting digital intelligence into traditional industrial industries.

So far, China Telecom has built more than 3,800 5G customized network projects and more than 13,000 5G DICT projects. In the 15 industries of the "Sailing" action plan, such as industry, transportation and logistics, medical care, and education, it has cooperated with hundreds of large enterprises, focusing on 20 major 5G industry application scenarios such as 5G+industrial vision, 5G+production site monitoring, 5G+remote equipment control, and 5G+factory intelligent logistics, creating a number of industry benchmarks.

China Mobile has always adhered to the benchmark leadership, joined hands with industry leaders, and deeply cultivated 19 sub-industries to explore 5G innovative applications. At present, more than 15,000 commercial cases have been implemented. In 2022, China Mobile's 5G commercial cases increased by more than 100% year-on-year, exceeding the total number of developments in the previous two years. The scale of new additions in most sub-industries in half a year far exceeded the whole year of 2021. The development of 5G vertical industries has entered a stage of rapid scale replication.

China Unicom has taken 5G fully connected factories as its core focus, vigorously promoting the in-depth expansion of new technologies, new scenarios and new models of "5G+Industrial Internet" to all areas and links of industrial production, helping industrial production to be smarter, more efficient and safer. The number of industry projects with 5G scale applications has exceeded 10,000, and the number of 5G private network service customers has reached 2,785.

It can be said that my country's 5G applications have achieved a breakthrough from "0" to "1". In addition, relevant data show that nearly half of the projects in the 2021 Fourth "Blooming Cup" 5G Application Collection Competition have been implemented, and more than 15% of the projects have achieved "replicable solutions". my country's 5G applications have entered the development stage from "1" to "N". In the future, only if all parties can work together and exert their synergy can they jointly help 5G to be successfully implemented in all walks of life.

The journey to the cloud has just begun, and there is a long way to go. Over the past three years, we have witnessed the rapid development of 5G and its success. Looking to the future, the development of 5G still requires the whole industry to draw a blueprint together, seize the opportunities of 5G development, and continuously promote 5G integrated applications to usher in greater prosperity.