Shanghai powering ahead in 5G development

Shanghai will establish 30,000 5G base stations within two years, Wu Jincheng, director of Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization, said on Wednesday.

“The planned time is three years, but now we have confidence to cut the time to two years. By the end of May, we have built more than 20,000 base stations, which means, basically, the downtown area in Shanghai has realized full coverage of 5G network,” Wu said.

He stressed 5G is the priority for Shanghai to build digital infrastructure. Three mobile carriers, namely, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, all pilot their 5G projects in Shanghai.

This year, Shanghai will invest 10 billion yuan (US$1.43 billion) in 5G, aiming to cover city with an average download speed of 200 megabits per second (mbps). In places such as exhibition centers and airports, the 5G download speed will hit 500 mbps, capable of high-definition video broadcasting and cloud games.

Commercial areas, such as Nanjing Road E., Xujiahui and Lujiazui, will be more densely covered by 5G network, with download speeds exceeding 500 mbps.

Wu said by the end of this year 297 metro stations will be covered by the 5G network.