Mobile carriers, vendors betting big on 5G
A visitor watches 5G speed test during MWC Shanghai 2019.
Mobile carriers, including China Mobile and China Telecom, will speed up 5G investment and boost the digital economy, officials said on Wednesday at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2019, the country's biggest telecommunications show.
China is likely to invest US$184 billion on 5G by 2025 — half of Asia’s total budget of US$370 billion. A good 28 percent of China’s mobile connections will be on 5G networks by 2025, accounting for about a third of all 5G connections globally, according to industry association GSMA.
Chinese carriers are eagerly looking for opportunities in 5G, including cloud computing, Internet of Things and AI.
"We have faced pressures to keep revenue growing. 5G may bring that opportunity,” said Yang Jie, China Mobile’s chairman.
China Mobile is the world’s No. 1 mobile carrier. It has more than 3.98 million base stations nationwide, serving 930 million subscribers. In the 5G era, the carrier will seek opportunities on IoT, used for device-to-device connection in smart manufacture and smart home.
With over 630 million IoT users, the company has established an industry alliance with over 800 partners to develop IoT business.
Migu, China Mobile’s multimedia content subsidiary, also said that it has set up a national base to produce 5G and high-definition contents. The base is in Jinqiao region in Shanghai's Pudong New Area.
China Telecom, the country’s No. 2 carrier, will seek integration of 5G, IoT and cloud business, according to Chairman Ke Ruijie.
The China Telecom booth showcases 5G applications in 28 sectors, covering urban management, media and smart manufacturing. The spotlight is a garbage-recycling system featuring 5G connections.
By 2020, China Telecom will invest 18 billion yuan (US$2.61 billion) in Shanghai to develop 5G and AI, the carrier said.
Equipment vendors including Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia and ZTE are also showcasing their 5G products and technologies at the show.
5G is “unlocking the vast potential of service providers and industries,” Ericsson’s President and CEO Börje Ekholm said.
“5G networks are facilitating an array of new services for consumers, transforming industry and manufacturing, and driving economic growth,” said Mats Granryd, director general of the GSMA.
Smartphone vendors including Oppo, Vivo, ZTE and other brands are displaying 5G models at the event, which ends on Friday.
Self-driving demos are shown in China Telecom's booth.
China Mobile's Migu announces to set up its national high-definition base in Shanghai. HD contents will be widely and easily spread in 5G era.
