China's world-leading 5G development in spotlight at Mobile World Congress Shanghai

China's world-leading development of 5G is being highlighted at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2024, which opened on Wednesday, as the country continues to expand coverage of its 5G network and further refine its telecoms sector.

The three-day MWC Shanghai event is deemed the biggest gathering of the connectivity ecosystem in Asia and is putting a focus on 5G and artificial intelligence (AI).

China's prominent global position in the field of 5G is underscored by the sheer amount of 5G base stations in the country, with a chief engineer from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) noting that the number is fast approaching 4 million.

"By the end of May 2024, the total number of 5G base stations built in China has reached 3.837 million, accounting for 60 percent of the global total. In China, more than half of the mobile phone users are 5G users," said Zhao Zhiguo, the ministry's chief engineer, in a speech at the opening ceremony of the congress.

Zhao added that China has achieved over 94,000 5G application cases in industries such as manufacturing, mining, power, ports and healthcare, showing how integral the super-fast network is across multiple key sectors.

The Global System for Mobile Communications Alliance (GSMA), who are organizing the MWC Shanghai event, have forecast that China's number of 5G connections will hit 1.6 billion by the end of 2030 -- accounting for nearly a third of the estimated global total by that time.

Much attention has also been given to the emergence of 5G Advanced, or "5G-A", which is an enhanced version of 5G, and many operators say they are stepping up efforts to commercialize 5G-A.

"The first batch of 500 integrated 5G-A sensory base stations will be deployed across 18 provinces and regions, and innovation demonstration bases will be established in 10 provinces including Guangdong, Fujian, and Anhui. We will also carry out networking scale tests for the three major areas of low altitude, water and land to fully verify the product and network capabilities," said Bian Yannan, deputy general manager of the planning and construction department of China Mobile.

From a technical standpoint, industry insiders say the new technology will deliver better connectivity and can also help provide enhanced entertainment experiences for users, while the overall reach of 5G is expected to continue to grow.

"We now work with the three major operators on 5G-4 in 25 provinces and regions. The typical issue is in resolving the bandwidth problem. For example, in working with China Central Television (CCTV) on broadcasting their Spring Festival Gala show, we will enable viewers to not only to enjoy a high-definition picture of the livestream, but also enjoy an AR or VR effect," said Wang Xiang, senior vice president of Chinese telecommunications company ZTE.

"We have published a thorough 5G-4 solution in 2024. We are also promoting lightweight 5G-A Internet of Things networks with operators. Domestic operators have launched commercial 5G services, and the future scale is expected to reach tens of millions," said Song Xiaodi, chief marketing officer of telecoms giant Huawei.

China's world-leading 5G development in spotlight at Mobile World Congress Shanghai

Central China's Henan Province has striven over the past more than ten years to build itself into a hinterland hub of reform and opening up through vigorous development of aviation logistics and cross-border trade, and with the adoption of a series of reform measures meant to improve the business environment.

In the provincial capital city of Zhengzhou, the Xinzheng International Airport has become the first in China to introduce an automated guided vehicle (AGV) smart application project. Acting on commands issued by the backstage, this groundbreaking project features 40 unmanned forklifts that effortlessly distribute goods to 1,284 standardized storage locations.

Within the sprawling 70,000-square-meter cargo terminal, a sophisticated intelligent system acts as the brain, automatically calculating the remaining storage capacity and providing early warnings for any potential irregularities in every corner. Beyond enhanced operational efficiency, the implementation of this intelligent system has also resulted in faster and more efficient outbound cargo shipments.

Notably, in May 2020, the Xinzheng International Airport became the sole pilot airport designated to operate air cargo e-freight in China on a trial basis.

The air cargo e-freight platform has revolutionized the industry by digitizing various air cargo documents and customs declarations. This seamless integration has created a comprehensive data chain, connecting foreign trade enterprises, freight forwarders, customs authorities and airlines within the aviation logistics operation chain.

Previously, the process of cargo security declarations used to involve cumbersome paperwork. But now, a single unified platform streamlines the procedure, eliminating the need for redundant submissions and multiple physical visits, effectively easing long-standing bottlenecks.

The adoption of such bold reform measures has significantly improved the business environment. Over 260 companies have already joined the e-freight platform, saving more than 1.5 million paper documents annually and increasing data transmission efficiency by over 20 percent.

As a result, the Xinzheng International Airport air cargo e-freight project was selected into the seventh batch of successful reform projects in China's national-level free trade zones, with plans for replication and nationwide promotion.

With over a decade of development, the Xinzheng International Airport has established more than 40 all-cargo routes, creating an extensive air cargo network that spans Europe, America and Asia, covering major global economic hubs.

Central China province strives to turn itself into hub of reform, opening up