A quick overview of 5G industry developments in March 2021

After the rapid development in 2020, 2021 is a critical year for my country's 5G. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that this year, my country's 5G base station construction will reach a cumulative goal of 1 million, and further results will be achieved in 5G network coverage, 5G terminal connection, 5G user growth and 5G commercial exploration. Against this background, my country's 5G construction has continued to make progress since March 2021, and the development of the industry is expected.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the 5G development goals for 2021

At 10 a.m. on March 1, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce the development of industry and information technology and answer questions from reporters. Among them, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released data showing that by the end of 2020, my country had opened a total of 718,000 5G base stations and the number of 5G mobile phone terminal connections exceeded 200 million. In 2021, my country will orderly promote the construction of 5G networks, accelerate the layout of 6G, and promote network optimization and upgrading.

China Unicom 5GBRT project shortlisted

On March 2, at the 2021 Mobile World Congress, GSMA and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology jointly released the "China 5G Vertical Industry Application Cases 2021". Among them, the Xiamen Bus 5G BRT Intelligent Connected Vehicle-Road Collaborative System project jointly built by China Unicom was shortlisted as one of the 21 meaningful 5G industry application results.

Nokia reaches deal with Ecuador's National Telecom

On March 2, Nokia reached a cooperation with Ecuador's public operator National Telecommunications (CNT) to become the first company to bring 5G to the country, expanding its 5G footprint. Nokia said in a statement that it is currently deploying new technologies. It will modernize 3G and LTE infrastructure in the provinces of Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi, Bolivar, Morona-Santiago and Santa Elena.

Kazakhstan introduces transition to 5G networks

On March 8, Askhat Orazbek, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, announced that the country's mobile operators are ready for the transition. This year, the 5G network will be launched in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, on a trial basis. By the end of 2022, the 5G network is planned to be launched in Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Shymkent. By 2025, the 5G network will cover all regional centers.

The number of 5G package users of the three major operators exceeded 300 million

On March 11, China Unicom disclosed the number of 5G package users for the first time in its 2020 annual performance report. As of December 31, 2020, the number of China Unicom's 5G package users reached 70.83 million. So far, the three domestic operators have announced the number of 5G users. The total number of 5G package users of the three major operators has exceeded 300 million.

Datang Gohong cooperates to develop 5G automotive-grade modules

On March 11, Datang Gohong, a subsidiary of China Information and Communications Technology Group, and Alps Alpine Group jointly announced that the two parties will sign an agreement to expand their strategic cooperation and increase cooperation in the fields of C-V2X, 4G/5G technologies in autonomous driving and intelligent connected vehicles, providing a more powerful "core" for smart cars and smart roads, and jointly promoting my country's progress from an automobile power to an automobile powerhouse.

Huawei announces charging standards for 5G mobile phones

On March 16, Huawei released the Innovation and Intellectual Property White Paper 2020. The white paper pointed out that Huawei expects its intellectual property revenue to be between 1.2 billion and 1.3 billion US dollars in the three years from 2019 to 2021, and announced Huawei's charging standards for 5G multi-mode mobile phones: Huawei's patent licensing fee for a single mobile phone that complies with the 5G standard is capped at US$2.5.

SoftBank, Qualcomm push gigabit 5G millimeter wave services

On March 19, Qualcomm Technologies announced that SoftBank has launched 5G millimeter wave services in Japan, using terminals equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G mobile platforms and Snapdragon 5G modems and RF systems. The first batch of mobile terminals supporting 5G millimeter wave in SoftBank's product portfolio, including the upcoming 5G smartphones, are expected to all use Qualcomm Technologies' 5G millimeter wave products.

ZTE and China Unicom set up 5G messaging open laboratory

On March 21, ZTE and Jiangsu Unicom jointly established a 5G message open laboratory. The establishment of this laboratory will help both parties to give full play to their respective advantages and accelerate the development and commercialization of 5G message applications. It is reported that the 5G message open laboratory will use ZTE's Openlab open platform. At present, the OpenLab open platform has connected to 40+ service providers and completed 120+5G message application verifications.

Hubei "5G Service Spring Breeze Tour" work plan released

On March 21, the Hubei Provincial Communications Administration issued the Hubei "5G Service Spring Breeze" Work Plan, launching a special campaign of "5G Service Spring Breeze" across the province. The plan proposes to significantly improve the quality of 5G services within this year, significantly improve the user's 5G service experience, and further reduce the 5G tariff level; more than 35,000 new 5G base stations will be built throughout the year, and the total number of 5G base stations will exceed 66,000.