A total of 98,613 5G base stations have been built in major cities in China’s Guangdong region, Asia Times reported, citing a report published by the Guangdong province.
In the first eight months of 2020, Chinese carriers have deployed a total of 61,625 5G base stations in Guangdong, which exceeded the provincial government’s target of adding 48,000 5G base stations for full 2020, according to the report.
The number of 5G data plan users exceeded 20.74 million in Guangdong as of the end of August, according to the Department of Industry and Information Technology of the Guangdong provincial government.
The local authorities also said that the province will continue to accelerate the deployment of 5G infrastructure and increase its efforts to improve the 5G signals in commercial buildings, residential areas and industrial parks.
Chinese press also reported that the country has already built 600,000 5G base stations nationwide, reaching its full-year construction target for 2020. Provinces such as Guangdong, Shandong and Liaoning have already exceeded their annual targets.
China also ended August with approximately 100 million devices connected to 5G networks in mainland China, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
According to MIIT Minister Xiao Yaqing, there were more than 60 million 5G users in the country as of the end of August.
In June 2019, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) officially issued licenses for the launch of commercial 5G networks in the country. Those 5G permits were granted to China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom and state-owned broadcaster China Broadcasting Network.
Some of the country’s main cities have reached full coverage with 5G technology. In August, the municipal government of Shenzhen announced that the city’s 5G deployment was fully completed. With the deployment of almost 46,500 5G base stations, Shenzhen became the first city in China to to achieve full-scale 5G deployment.
Shenzhen, a southern tech hub in Guangdong Province, was one of the first pilot cities of the 5G network in China. The city, with more than 12.5 million residents, is home to telecoms giant Huawei Technologies and other Chinese tech companies including ZTE and Tencent Holdings.
Meanwhile, Beijing’s authorities announced last month that the capital had become the second city in China to achieve full coverage of 5G technology.
As of the end of July, Chinese operators had installed a total of 44,000 5G base stations across the city, and the figure is expected to reach 50,000 by the end of 2020, according to government officials
Currently, there are over 5 million 5G users in Beijing. The city will also boost the development of 5G applications, such as unmanned vehicles, and promote 5G construction at the Beijing Daxing International Airport and the 5G transformation of venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Shanghai has previously stated its commitment to investing CNY 10 billion ($1.4 billion) in 5G network construction this year, with the city anticipating 30,000 outdoor 5G base stations and 50,000 indoor small stations built by the end of 2020.
