165 million! China Mobile’s 5G user number announced, is 4G really outdated?

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On January 20, China Mobile announced its operating data for December 2020. The total number of China Mobile users in that month was 941.918 million, a net decrease of 1.792 million. In 2020, the number of China Mobile's mobile customers decreased by 8.359 million. Affected by the epidemic, many users reduced the number of mobile phone cards they held, resulting in a slight decrease in the total number of users.

2020 is an important period for the popularization of 5G networks in China. China Mobile alone has built 400,000 5G base stations, and China Unicom and China Telecom have built a total of 300,000 5G base stations, basically completing coverage of key areas in first- and second-tier cities.

In 2020, China Mobile's cumulative 5G users reached 165.003 million, with a net increase of 162.453 million, reaching 232% of the target increase of 70 million. In December alone, China Mobile added 17.621 million 5G users. Of course, 4G users still have the largest number, reaching 775.306 million.

In order to adapt to the 5G trend, the four major mobile phone manufacturers, Xiaomi, Huawei, and OV, have basically stopped releasing new 4G phones. After switching to 5G phones, many consumers hesitate whether to activate 5G packages. If they don't activate it, they always feel that the phone is missing something. If they activate it, they are worried that the coverage is insufficient and they can't use the 5G network.

According to information released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the three major operators and China Broadcasting Corporation have obtained the right to use the medium and low frequency 5G bands. The medium and low frequency 5G bands have a wider coverage, and the four operators will also speed up the construction of base stations. It is expected that by the end of 2021, administrative units at the county level and above in China will be covered by 5G networks.

When the 5G network was put into commercial use, the three major operators announced that 4G packages can also use the 5G network, but the speed will be limited to 300Mbps. Recently, the three major operators reiterated this, indicating that 4G packages can also use the 5G network. 300Mbps is not very fast, but it is basically 3 to 10 times the speed of ordinary 4G networks. If the network speed demand is not that high, there is really no need to activate the 5G package.

5G packages can improve the user experience to a certain extent, but the problem is that the high price makes many people feel it is not worth it. Operators need to build a large number of base stations in the early stage, which is relatively costly, so it is normal that the package charges are expensive. After the commercial use of medium and low frequency 5G bands this year, the cost will drop significantly, and I believe that the 5G package charges will also drop accordingly. If you are not in a hurry to experience high-speed 5G, then wait for the package price to drop.