(Yicai Global) Oct. 24 -- Yinchuan, the capital city of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is picking up the pace in construction of infrastructure for Narrow Band Internet of Things (NBIoT) and 5G communications with plans to build almost 10,000 base stations for the two technologies by 2020.

The city's municipal government plans to partner with China Mobile Communications Corp., one of the country's three major state-owned telecoms providers, and China Tower Corp. Ltd., which manufactures communications facilities. The trio will invest CNY4 billion (USD602.9 million) to construct 6,400 5G network stations and 3,000 for NBIoT.

Upon completion, the NBIoT network will offer municipal services, such as smart water-related services and intelligent street lamps, as well as corporate services, including smart logistics and agriculture. The network will also be able to connect with wearable devices and smart home appliances.

Construction of the 5G base stations will improve both the rate and capacity of wireless communication in the city, with speeds expected to multiply 100-fold. These stations will be built to meet the demands of a range of technologies, including the Internet of Things, robots and the Internet of Vehicles.

Yinchuan will also expedite construction of a broadband network to gain 100-percent optical fiber coverage in the city within three years and increase the accessibility rate in rural areas to over 85 percent. In the next three years, 850,000 new users will join the network, the report added.