(Yicai Global) Dec. 30 -- China's rural areas, which have full network coverage, have reached an internet penetration rate of nearly 60 percent, according to the government.

The penetration rate is 59.2 percent, doubled from 2015, which supports the modernization of such remote areas, Xie Cun, department director at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said during a press conference today.

But more will be done to advance digitization. The central government will give about CNY10 billion (USD1.6 billion) in subsidies from this year to 2025 to continue supporting common communication services in remote areas, Zou Suping, deputy department director at the finance ministry, said during the same press conference.

The focus is to steadily improve the breadth and depth of coverage of optical fiber and 4G networks in rural areas, Xie added.

More than 99 percent of all villages have achieved a dual coverage of optical fiber and fourth-generation wireless networks, with the average download speed exceeding 100 megabytes per second, the same as in urban areas, said Xie.

Internet fees are not high. Subscribers in rural areas can enjoy cell phone, fixed broadband, and online TV packages for as little as CNY30 (USD4.70) per month, according to Xie.

Moreover, fifth-generation wireless networks are coming to small towns. More than 97 percent of urban county areas and 40 percent of townships are now covered by 5G networks, Xie revealed.

China had a total of 5.9 million 4G base stations and more than 1.4 million 5G base stations as of Nov. 30, according to data released by the MIIT. More than 500 million people used fiber broadband, accounting for 94 percent of all broadband users. The more advanced gigabit optical network had the capacity to cover more than 260 million households.

Editor: Emmi Laine