The move is part of China’s broader initiative to widen the application of 5G industrial internet to boost the domestic manufacturing sector
The government of China has granted the first 5G private network license in the country to Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), the manufacturer of the C919, the country’s first self-developed single-aisle passenger jet, local newspaper China Daily reported.
The move is part of China’s broader initiative to widen the application of 5G industrial internet to boost the domestic manufacturing sector.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has granted the corporate 5G private network license for COMAC to use industrial wireless dedicated frequency bands 5.925-6.125 GHz and 24.750-25.15 GHz, which feature high speed, fast connections and low latency.
According to the report, the license was officially announced at the 2022 China 5G plus Industrial Internet Conference, which kicked off in Wuhan, Hubei province last week.
The report also noted that the value-added output of the industrial internet is expected to reach CNY 4.45 trillion ($617 billion) this year, accounting for 3.64% of China’s GDP and up from CNY 4.10 trillion in 2021, according to the most recent report from the China Academy of Industrial Internet.
The industrial internet is expected to help promote the upgrade of China’s employment structure and stabilize employment, as well as create over 1 million new jobs in 2022, according to the report.
Zhang Yunming, MIIT vice-minister, said the industrial internet was a key element to achieve the integration of new-generation information communication technology and the industrial economy.
“More efforts will be made to establish standards for 5G fully connected factories by industry,” Zhang said.
China ended September with a total of 2.22 million 5G base stations across the country, according to recent press reports. The figure represents a net increase of 795,000 5G base stations from the end of 2021.
Chinese operators recorded a net gain of 24.75 million 5G subscribers in October, according to the operators’ latest available statistics.
China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, added a total of 14.7 million 5G subscribers during October. The carrier said it ended last month with 571.5 million 5G subscribers.
China Mobile has added a total of 184.7 million subscribers in the 5G segment since the beginning of the year.
Meanwhile, China Telecom added 5.88 million 5G subscribers last month to take its total 5G subscribers base to 256.9 million. Since the beginning of the year, the telco has added a total of 69.12 million 5G subscribers.
Rival operator China Unicom said it added a total of 4.17 million 5G subscribers during last month. The carrier ended October with 205 million 5G subscribers.
