Outlook for domestic 5G development in 2021 (I): Current status

The development of 5G has now become another hot topic of global attention and competition. Compared with traditional 2G, 3G and 4G, 5G has the obvious characteristics of high speed, low latency and large capacity. The construction of 5G infrastructure and the realization of commercial applications can not only promote the emergence of people's smart and convenient life, but also drive the intelligent transformation and upgrading of the industry. By integrating with people's production and life, 5G can create a new era of "Internet of Everything".

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Based on this, countries are very enthusiastic about the development of 5G. Since South Korea first launched 5G commercial use in 2019, my country has also followed suit and launched commercial use in June of the same year, becoming one of the pioneers in 5G development. Afterwards, relying on its own needs, market and other advantages, as well as policies, enterprises and other aspects of support, my country's 5G development has been advancing by leaps and bounds and has achieved many good results. Today, my country's 5G has led the world.

Policy continues to lead

For the development of 5G in my country, government support and policy support are important guarantees.

Since the announcement of the commercial use of 5G, my country has included 5G in the 2020 Government Work Report, implemented the "New Infrastructure" strategy, and elevated the development of 5G to the national strategic level. At the same time, my country, led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, has also issued a number of documents, including the "Notice on Promoting the Accelerated Development of 5G", which clarify the future goals, main tasks and detailed measures for the development of 5G, provide a lot of support and guidance for the development of 5G, and release dividends.

Following the national call, various provinces and cities have also issued many 5G-related policies. In 2020 alone, more than 20 provinces and cities have issued new regulations, such as Fujian Province's "Notice on Further Supporting 5G Network Construction and Industrial Development Measures"; Anhui Province's "Several Policies to Support 5G Development"; Yunnan Province's "5G Industry Development Implementation Plan"; Chongqing City's "Notice on Ensuring 5G Network Infrastructure Construction" and so on.

In addition, China National Radio and Television Corporation, Huawei and other enterprises are also actively drafting and formulating 5G-related standards, paving the way for 5G commercial use while also creating China's advantages in global competition. In the next step, with the continuous advancement of national strategic guidance, the continued increase in local policy support and project investment in various provinces and cities, coupled with the gradual improvement of relevant industry and enterprise standards, I believe that my country's 5G development will accelerate and its advantages will continue to increase.

Enterprise advantages emerge

At present, in addition to the strong support of government policies, enterprises also play an important role in the development of 5G in my country.

In 5G construction and application, my country not only has operators such as China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, but also infrastructure service providers such as China Tower and China Broadcasting Corporation. In addition, there are application providers such as Huawei and ZTE. It can be said that the types of enterprises are very rich, the industry chain is also very complete, and the 5G development ecosystem is relatively complete.

At the same time, regardless of the composition of the companies, the strength of each company is also very impressive. Huawei, for example, currently leads the world in 5G patents and has an absolute advantage in 5G technology. In addition, the 5G orders it has received are already unrivaled, and it also has a dominant position in 5G standards. Strong companies have brought huge advantages to the development of 5G in my country.

Of course, the biggest impetus for the development of 5G by enterprises is still on project layout. According to relevant data, China Mobile and China Unicom have invested 100 billion yuan in 5G in 2020, while China Telecom invested 45.3 billion yuan and China Tower invested 17 billion yuan. The huge amount of funds invested by enterprises has not only kept the development of 5G in China going strong, but also effectively promoted the rapid construction and application of 5G, which is crucial for the achievement of 5G results in my country.

Outstanding development achievements

In summary, based on government policies and the support of strong enterprises, my country has indeed achieved outstanding results in 5G construction and application.

By the end of 2020, the number of 5G base stations in my country has exceeded the original target of 600,000. The 5G network has basically covered cities at the prefecture level and above, with an average of about 12,000 new base stations added per week. Not long ago, cities such as Shenzhen announced that they had achieved full 5G coverage ahead of schedule. At the same time, the number of 5G users in my country has exceeded 110 million, with significant results. It is understood that the pace of 5G infrastructure and network coverage in various places is still accelerating.

After the achievements of 5G construction, my country's 5G commercial exploration has also begun to take shape. In the 2020 Government Work Report, my country emphasized "expanding 5G applications". After that, the three major operators jointly launched the first 5G application product - 5G messaging, which opened the door to my country's 5G commercial exploration. Against this background, more industries including manufacturing, medical care, education, and finance have also begun to introduce 5G technology, and China has ushered in a wave of 5G applications.

Up to now, although my country's 5G construction has not been fully completed and 5G innovative applications have not yet matured, certain breakthroughs and achievements have been made in these two aspects, which have laid a good foundation for the development of 5G in 2021.