The dangers and opportunities of 5G construction in my country under the influence of the epidemic

2020 is the starting point for the outbreak of the 5G industry. The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus has affected the progress of 5G construction in my country, but every coin has two sides, and there is vitality hidden in the undercurrent.

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5G base station construction suspended

Due to the impact of the epidemic and the need for prevention, except for the relatively stable progress of 5G base station construction required by medical units such as Huoshenshan and Leishenshan, most infrastructure construction workers in other regions have not yet returned to work, and 5G base station construction has been suspended. Beijing Mobile said that due to safety considerations for the epidemic, most site owners are not allowed to enter for construction. This year's 5G construction plan will be affected by the epidemic, and the company will make adjustments in terms of 5G base station construction force and equipment manufacturer supply.

However, the epidemic is temporary, and 5G construction will still usher in a construction peak. Liu Guangyi, chief expert of China Mobile Research Institute, pointed out: "The epidemic has a great impact on the first quarter of 2020. After a short-term suppression, it will usher in an outbreak. China Mobile's 2020 5G construction plan has not changed. 2020 will still be an important node for the development of 5G." Recently, Jian Qin, deputy general manager of China Mobile, said that China Mobile is accelerating the promotion of 5G services for the economy, society and people's livelihood. As of the end of January, China Mobile has opened 74,000 5G base stations and developed more than 6.7 million 5G package customers.

From another perspective, the epidemic has also promoted the construction of 5G base stations to a certain extent. A communications equipment vendor who participated in the emergency deployment of 5G base stations at Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital said: "Under the influence of the epidemic, the deployment increment of 5G macro base stations this year may be higher than the previously planned number."

Due to the impact of the epidemic, the network demand in hospitals and other frontline areas of the fight against the epidemic has increased, and the actual number of 5G base stations built in some hospitals is higher than planned. Taking the construction of Leishenshan Hospital as an example, China Mobile alone deployed 5 5G macro base stations. Generally speaking, each operator only needs to equip an average of 1-2 5G macro base stations for an ordinary designated hospital. Therefore, the new increase in the deployment of 5G base stations nationwide for epidemic prevention and control is an increase outside the operator's plan for the whole year, which speeds up the construction of 5G base stations for operators.

5G terminals are met with a “cold” reception

In addition to the suspension of 5G base station construction, terminals have also been greatly affected by the epidemic. According to statistics, although the performance of the mobile phone market in January 2020 was slightly better than last year, due to the impact of the epidemic, the Spring Festival holiday, which should have been a peak sales season, encountered a "cold market".

Consulting firm IDC said that my country's mobile phone market will face challenges in the first quarter of 2020, and the supply chain's ability to adjust will be tested. It is recommended that short-term and long-term product plans may need to be adjusted. Under the influence of the epidemic, consumer budgets may be further tightened, and small and medium-sized players in the mobile phone industry are in urgent need of recovery after the impact. IDC predicts that the domestic mobile phone market will face a sharp decline of about 40% year-on-year in January and February 2020. Within three months, if the epidemic is under stable control, the overall market will enter a recovery period, but it will still be difficult to recover to the same period last year.

Although the short-term impact of the epidemic on the economy is inevitable, we should also see the positive factors. Cheng Guifeng, deputy director of the Intelligent Terminal Research Institute of China Telecom Intelligent Network and Terminal Research Institute, believes that the epidemic has a short-term impact on the mobile phone market, but it is not advisable to give an overly pessimistic expectation for the mobile phone market throughout the year. He said: "Real rigid demand cannot be suppressed. If it is suppressed in the short term, it will inevitably explode after stabilization."

5G applications are maturing faster

Technology is used for good, and ICT companies use technology to help defeat the disease as soon as possible. Behind the "China speed" in the race against the epidemic, 5G is everywhere. In this smokeless battlefield, 5G empowers and builds a "firewall" against the epidemic.

At present, the centralized procurement plan of 5G equipment of the three major operators has been postponed, but in the fight against the epidemic, industries such as 5G telemedicine, 5G distance education, and 5G cloud robots have also developed rapidly. In the fight against the epidemic, using 5G to solve medical needs is undoubtedly the first priority. Remote consultation, remote testing, and mobile rescue in 5G telemedicine can conduct preliminary screening; 5G medical robots can complete the delivery of water and meals, drug distribution, and temperature measurement. Patients can be equipped with 5G medical smart speakers and 5G consultation and testing equipment to reduce the work pressure and infection rate of medical staff. In addition, 5G cloud conferencing, 5G distance education, 5G smart logistics, 5G smart warehousing, etc. have made great contributions to the fight against the epidemic.

After the epidemic, the 5G industry will usher in an economic rebound. Yang Guang, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, said that after the epidemic is over, there will be a large demand for vertical industries related to epidemic prevention, such as medical care, emergency response, transportation and logistics, and security. It is expected that the government will also promote the acceleration of 5G construction after the epidemic is over. The impact of the epidemic on the macro-economy needs to be offset by increased infrastructure investment, and 5G will be the first choice.