Amid the epidemic crisis, many countries are planning to break through with 5G

For the global 5G industry, the first quarter of 2020 did not usher in the expected joy of the "5G Year". Instead, the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the supply and consumption ends. During the pandemic, leaders worried about their lack of stamina, while followers were anxious about being forced to slow down their construction. At the same time, the need to fight the pandemic forced many countries to speed up the development of 5G, and many people saw the role 5G played in helping China fight the pandemic. As an important force in the world's 5G equipment production and market construction, China's gradual control of the domestic epidemic and promotion of resumption of work and production have brought benefits to the entire industry.

South Korea worries about losing its leading position

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening South Korea's leading position in the 5G field. Reuters reported that South Korea became the first country in the world to launch mobile 5G commercial services last year, but after relying on large-scale subsidies to stimulate 5G mobile phone sales in the early stage, many consumers began to question why they should buy expensive new smartphones whose 5G signals are far less stable than advertised. The huge blow to consumption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has made the sales of 5G mobile phones even worse. South Korean smartphone brands such as Samsung are very much hoping that their North American and European markets will drive huge demand for 5G mobile phones, but these two markets are still suffering from the severe impact of the epidemic.

According to a report by South Korea's Yonhap News Agency on the 16th, in order to overcome the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic and further enhance South Korea's information and communication technology, the South Korean Ministry of Science and Technology held a meeting on the same day and emphasized that in order to cope with the development trend after the epidemic, it is now necessary to expand investment in communication infrastructure, cultural industries and other fields, while avoiding the bankruptcy of related small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Korea Information Promotion Agency suggested that the government should attach importance to the construction of infrastructure such as 5G communications from the perspective of coping with the "post-COVID-19 era", especially to strengthen the integration and development of the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing. We should take this epidemic as an opportunity to increase the research and development of core technologies such as online commerce and remote basic industries. Relevant officials believe that after the epidemic, there will be drastic economic and social changes, and South Korea should make good use of the existing digital technology power and actively create new economic growth industries.

South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo reported that the Ministry of Science and Technology of South Korea reached a 5G promotion plan with major South Korean telecommunications companies earlier this month, planning to build 5G base stations in more than 2,000 indoor locations such as subway stations and department stores within the year to expand 5G indoor coverage, and will launch 5G independent networking services to ensure that users will not suddenly switch to 4G mode when using 5G services. The South Korean government will also invest 650 billion won to cultivate 5G strategic industries, including 15 fields such as the next generation of smartphones, AR and VR equipment, self-driving cars, and medical care.

Europe's 5G is forced to slow down

Affected by the epidemic, the global promotion of 5G has been greatly delayed. After two consecutive years of decline in the mobile phone industry, Apple originally planned to boost its performance by launching its first 5G mobile phone this fall, but it is not clear whether it can be released as scheduled. Some future services that rely on 5G technology, such as driverless technology, automated factory workshops and smart cities, have been delayed, and the 5G spectrum auctions in Italy, Spain, France and Austria have also been postponed due to the epidemic.

"The epidemic has slowed down the pace of 5G construction in Europe," Handelsblatt reported on the 15th. In 2020, the EU member states were supposed to start 5G, and countries were allocating frequency bands and building 5G facilities. But now, due to the epidemic, the 5G plans of various countries have been forced to shelve. Experts say that since the epidemic in Europe may last longer than in Asia, and EU countries have no unified opinion on the selection of 5G equipment suppliers, the EU's 5G construction will lag behind China and other Asian countries by at least one or two years. Recently, the "5G new crown conspiracy theory" circulated in many places in the UK and the Netherlands has even led to the burning of some local base stations. This has cast a shadow on Europe's 5G construction.

German News Television said on the 16th that the epidemic has made Europe realize its own technological gap. For example, Asian countries are using future technologies such as 5G and big data on a large scale, while Europe is obviously lagging behind, making the anti-epidemic effect not high. German Minister of Economy and Energy Altmaier has said that after the epidemic, Germany will re-examine the development of future technologies such as 5G, invest more in research and development, and cooperate with European countries to strengthen the EU's 5G capabilities.

"The coronavirus is the beginning of the EU's digital transformation!" German Wirtschaftswoche said on the 16th that a leaked EU document showed that the EU should "thoroughly analyze the experience of the coronavirus pandemic" and formulate future digital policy measures. After the current coronavirus crisis, areas such as "e-health, digital education, e-government, data exchange and broadband connectivity" should receive special attention.

China works to restore production lines

Reuters said that as the domestic epidemic is gradually under control, China's 5G construction is expected to resume in the second quarter, which is good news for Huawei and other companies. Sun Huifeng, president of CCID Consulting, recently said that in general, the production of 5G basic components, telecommunications equipment and terminal equipment is mostly concentrated in China. Thanks to the effective control of the epidemic, the supply chain and production lines will be restored soon, and even to a certain extent, the localization process of key components, especially the RF front end, will be accelerated.

According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as of March 26, there were 76 types of 5G mobile phone products in China, with cumulative shipments exceeding 26 million units, of which 13 million units were shipped from January to March. International research firm Counterpoint predicts that China's 5G mobile phone shipments will exceed 150 million units this year. During the epidemic, more than 63,000 new 4G and 5G base stations were built.

Xu Kemin, director of the Department of Industrial Policy and Regulation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said on the 16th that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will continue to actively support the development of new models and new business forms such as telemedicine, online education, and online office, drive the consumption of smart terminals and services, and accelerate the construction of new infrastructure such as 5G networks, big data, artificial intelligence, industrial Internet, and smart cities.