With another 600,000 base stations added in 2021, will the number of 5G users increase dramatically?

As we all know, my country's operators have been very active in deploying 5G, especially after the epidemic was effectively controlled last year and work and production resumed in full. Operators have accelerated the construction of 5G base stations and network connections, and the laying of 5G base stations has also been accelerated a lot.

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Relevant data on industry and information technology in 2020 show that my country's industrial economy continued to recover steadily in 2020 despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increasing by 2.8% year-on-year. 5G construction has achieved "China speed", with more than 600,000 new 5G base stations built and put into operation in 2020, achieving full 5G network coverage in all cities above prefecture level; the number of 5G terminal connections exceeded 200 million, and there were more than 1,100 5G industrial Internet projects. 5G remote consultation was put into use in more than 60 hospitals in 19 provinces, and new models and formats such as 5G autonomous driving, 5G smart grid, and 5G distance education continued to emerge.

At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also stated that it plans to continue to build 600,000 5G base stations in 2021, and extend to counties and towns with conditions on the basis of deep coverage of cities at prefecture level and above. In addition, it will further enhance the innovation ability of 5G applications and industrial foundation capabilities. 5G has reached the speed of China, but we are not very intuitive in experiencing 5G applications and packages, and it seems that there are very few users around us who use 5G.

So, what are the main changes in users brought about by the development of 5G? We observe that users' direct enthusiasm for 5G has not yet been completely ignited, and the focus is mainly on four factors:

• One is that the cost of 5G packages is still a bit high, and users have concerns when making choices. In addition, due to the constraints of the economy itself and the carrying capacity of personal income, the degree of acceptance of the current 5G packages is limited. This restricts the enthusiasm of some users to switch to 5G packages.
• The second is that although the construction and coverage speed and range of 5G base stations are very fast, they are still some distance away from the requirement of "seamless coverage". Users do not have a strong intuitive feeling of 5G speed, which also restricts some users from actively switching to 5G networks.
• Third, for individual consumers, there are no killer application products in the 5G application scenarios. Users feel that their 4G network usage is sufficient to cope with various current application modes, and there is no need to upgrade to more expensive 5G packages. At present, 5G applications are more concentrated in the process of "public" and commercial entities, or in other words, there are more "To B" applications, and "To C" applications have not yet been presented more. Although it was once considered to be beneficial to VR/AR and other devices, this type of application does not have too much mass base at present, so the application sense is not strong.
• Fourth, the promotion of 5G applications is not strong enough. Operators are currently in the process of building 5G, and the promotion of 5G applications has not been carried out extensively. In addition, the "fight" between operators has not started, and the desire to snatch users from each other is not strong. There is no competition to launch some preferential packages to snatch users, which also makes some users wait and see, waiting for the right opportunity. Perhaps this year's May 17 International Telecommunication Day will show something?

Of course, although 5G has not been completely detonated by users, it does not hinder the pace of 5G construction. We have seen that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also stated that in 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will focus on improving network coverage capabilities; enhancing application innovation capabilities and enhancing industrial basic capabilities. Continue to deepen the construction and deployment of 5G networks. Cultivate emerging consumption models such as 5G+augmented reality, 5G+virtual reality, and immersive games, and promote the integration of 5G into life services such as health, elderly care, and housekeeping.

More importantly, we should accelerate the development and deployment of key technologies such as network slicing, edge computing, and 5G enhancement, and accelerate the development and industrialization of key products and devices such as customized and economical 5G chips, modules, and terminals. Relying on technology, taking industry as the guide, users as the goal, and development as the secret, this is the key to the development of a technology. 5G has already run at the speed of China. The next step is how to make users feel the speed and efficiency of 5G, bring more industrial integration, improve user experience, and make 5G truly become the vanguard of the development of new infrastructure.