The number of 5G base stations in China had risen to more than 3.6 million by the end of March 2024, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Thursday.
At a press conference in Beijing, officials from the ministry briefed the media on the development of China's information and communications industry in the first quarter of 2024.
Spokesman Zhao Zhiguo said that by the end of March, China has set up 3.647 million 5G base stations, with the 5G user coverage surpassing 60 percent.
The network ports with gigabytes service has reached 24.56 million, and the world's first 400G all-optical inter-provincial key network was officially commercialized as well.
Zhao emphasized that the ministry will continue to consolidate and enhance the competitive advantage and leading position of China's information and communications industry by focusing on high-quality development.
Based on innovation, China is promoting the integration of multiple technologies, such as 5G, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
For now, 5G is evolving to 5GA or 5.5G while research and development on 6G and 10-gigabit optical network has been advancing.
China will speed up its research and development on big data and AI, as well as the mass application of the industrial internet, Zhao noted.
China home to over 3.6 mln 5G base stations
