China Broadcasting Network (CBN) confirmed plans to introduce commercial 5G service in 2020 using standalone (SA) technology, with a full network rollout targeted in 2021,  as per the  sources reported on one of 5G conferences in Beijing this month. 

CBN,  the national cable TV network expressed,  the company will focus on delivering HD and ultra HD video content using the 700MHz band. It also has 4.9GHz spectrum. CBN as the newcomer to mobile,  which received its 5G licence in June together with the three major mobile operators, started SA 5G trials in early October in Shanghai.

The historic statistics showed that a few months ago,  it didn’t have any base stations and is working with industry partners to quickly scale up its network.

The SA 5G uses both a 5G radio access network and a 5G core. Normally non-SA 5G networks use a 5G radio and a 4G core.

On 31 October, China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom officially launched 5G services in parts of 50 cities in China.  Up to the date, they have deployed 113,000 5G base stations and signed up 870,000 subscribers. 

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China granted a telecoms licence to CBN in 2016 as part of the government’s plan to accelerate the convergence of telecoms, broadcasting and internet networks.