China Broadnet becomes 4th mobile carrier offering 5G

New 5G numbers beginning with 192 became available on Monday when China Broadnet, the country's fourth telecommunications network operator, started selling 5G.

China Broadnet, mainly a cable TV and radio network operator, was given a national 5G license in 2019.

China now has four 5G carriers as China Broadnet joins China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom.

China Broadnet's 5G monthly packages range between 118 and 558 yuan (US$18-US$92), according to its website.

China Broadnet has built a 5G network covering the whole Beijing. It now offers 12 customized 5G models, which will rise to 126 in the near future, according to media reports.

In Shanghai, the carrier will offer services by the Oriental Cable Network Co or OCN, the city's biggest cable TV service provider.

Users can register with their current numbers and wait for further notice.

The new 5G carrier won't challenge the top three mobile carriers' market position but its service will enrich 5G applications and offer consumers more choices, analysts said.

China Broadnet can bundle its paid cable TV with 5G services to push up TV and mobile network convergence, part of a national strategy to boost the digital economy, industry insiders said.

By the end of May, China had a total of 428 million 5G users, a quarter of the total mobile phone user base of 1.66 billion.