(Yicai Global) March 4 -- Players in  China's telecommunications sector will not charge higher fees for  fifth-generation wireless network technology and they will remain in  line with current data fees, according to an executive from leading  carrier China Unicom.

"The specific fee for China Unicom's  5G service will be determined at the end of this year, but I can  responsibly tell you that it will not be higher than that of 4G," Zhang  Yunyong, head of China Unicom Research Institute and a member of the  National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative  Conference, told Yicai Global prior to the start of the annual plenary  sessions of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's  Political Consultative Conference.

Various smartphone manufacturers  will release 5G handsets by the second half of this year, he said,  adding that these mobiles will hit the market on a large scale by next  March.

Domestic operators are accelerating the development of 5G networks though they still face funding issues at present, he added. 

Operators are yet to recover their  costs invested in 4G networks while the profit model for 5G  communications remains unclear, he said. Operators are finding it hard  to cope with the enormous investment needed for both the establishment  and operation of 5G mobile networks.

Zhang has proposed that the  government offers more support to operators in terms of policy guidance,  financial aids and preferential tax policies, he disclosed.

He also advised that the governments  promotes the establishment of uniformed standards for 5G terminals and  guides the relevant research and development in line with industry  standards to lower the threshold and difficulty of utilization for users  and encourage more consumers to accept 5G technology.

Editor: William Clegg