(Yicai Global) Sept. 28 -- China's fifth-generation smartphone shipments are rising exponentially due to the rapid expansion of the country's 5G network infrastructure and should reach 140 million units this year, an analyst from Counterpoint Research told Yicai Global today.

Nearly 14 million 5G smartphones were sold in July, more than triple the amount sold in January, making up almost half of the country's smartphone sales, Tang Ding said. All new handsets released by major phonemakers in China this year were 5G, he added.

Chinese manufacturers, including established giants Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi Corp. as well as emerging brands Realme and OnePlus, accounted for 79 percent of global 5G mobile phone shipments in July, a new high, according to the Counterpoint Research report. This is compared to 72 percent in the second quarter.

However, this slice of the pie is expected to drop once US tech giant Apple's 5G phones come on the market, Tang said.

The quick commercialization of low- and medium-end 5G chips, the efficient development of new products by phone makers, the country's extensive 5G network coverage as well as the active promotion of 5G services and products by telecoms operators have all helped drive sales.

China has built more than 600,000 5G base stations nationwide, and there are more than 100 million terminal connections, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor