World's Biggest 5G Network Should Double Users by 2021, China Mobile Exec Says
Xu Wei
DATE:  Nov 23 2020
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
World's Biggest 5G Network Should Double Users by 2021, China Mobile Exec Says World's Biggest 5G Network Should Double Users by 2021, China Mobile Exec Says

(Yicai Global) Nov. 23 -- China Mobile, the country's largest mobile carrier, has constructed the world's largest fifth-generation wireless network, expecting to double the number of users by next year.

China Mobile's 5G network covers 337 cities in China with 380,000 base stations, the Paper reported, citing Jian Qin, an executive at the Beijing-based company, speaking at a conference on Nov. 20.

By 2025, China's 5G industry will drive a market size of nearly CNY10 trillion (USD1.5 billion), including CNY1.4 trillion (USD213.5 billion) in equipment and CNY700 billion (USD106.7 billion) in communication services, Jian suggested.

An increasing number of consumers are willing to buy 5G cellphones, according to Jian. China Mobile's number of 5G plan subscribers who own 5G phones should be boosted by 200 million in 2021. By next month, that number should be 100 million whereas in October, the figure was 90 million.

China Mobile will spend over CNY20 billion (USD3 billion) to offer credit products to distributors and buyers to reach its goal of new users. It will also pour CNY10 billion into research and development and more than 10 billion into marketing cooperation.

During China's Double 11 shopping festival, more than 90 percent of the vendor's bestselling handsets were 5G ones, according to the executive. The carrier targets nearly 300 million users to replace their old phones with new ones, he added.

Some 80 percent of China's phone shipments will be 5G ones at 280 million units by 2021, increasing rapidly from the 15 percent portion early this year, according to Jian. Now the figure is 60 percent. China Mobile strives to introduce cheaper 5G models to bring faster connectivity to phones priced below CNY1,000 (USD152) from the current over CNY1,500, he added.

Editor: Emmi Laine

Follow Yicai Global on
Keywords:   China Mobile,5G,Telecommunication