China Mobile  announced this August that it aims to install 50,000 5G base stations in 50 cities across China by the end of this year, and also plans to build what it calls a 5G+ ecosystem in cooperation with local government, universities, and scientific research institutes.

The company aims to expand the 5G commercial services to all Chinese cities above the prefecture level by 2020. The company said it is working to integrate 5G technologies with other new technologies, including artificial intelligence and the internet of things, with the aim of offering specific 5G-based solutions across different sectors in China.

Earlier this June, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) officially issued licences for the launch of commercial 5G networks in the country. The 5G licenses were granted to state-run carriers China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom and state-owned broadcaster China Broadcasting Network. At the end of last year, the MIIT issued licenses for 5G trials in a number of cities across China. Commercial rollout of 5G in China was initially expected to occur during 2020.  

Chinese carriers are forecast to invest $184 billion on 5G by 2025, as per the data from GSMA.