5G development milestones in 2021: 5G network coverage is improving, and the number of users has reached new highs

       In 2021, against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic and increasing global economic uncertainty, my country's 5G development has sailed against the trend, played an active role in stabilizing investment and growth, and has become a veritable "leader" in new infrastructure. In the past year, 5G network coverage has been gradually improved, and the number of users has repeatedly set new highs. 5G has not only quietly changed people's lifestyles, but has also accelerated its integration into the real economy, enabling the digital transformation of thousands of industries with integrated applications, and injecting strong impetus into the high-quality development of the economy and society.

　　Operation "Sailing" is launched

　　Opening up a new era of prosperity for 5G applications

　　my country attaches great importance to the development of 5G, and General Secretary Xi Jinping has made important instructions on accelerating the development of 5G on many occasions. In July 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with nine departments, issued the "5G Application "Sailing" Action Plan (2021-2023)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Sailing" Action Plan), which proposed eight special actions from the aspects of standard system construction, industrial foundation strengthening, information consumption upgrading, industry application deepening, and social livelihood services, which pointed out the direction for the development of 5G applications in the next three years and opened a new journey for the prosperity and development of 5G applications.

　　After the release of the "Sailing Action Plan", the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology continued to "add more" to promote the development of 5G applications. At the end of July 2021, the "National 5G Industry Application Scale Development On-site Meeting" hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was held in Shenzhen and Dongguan, Guangdong, setting a model for 5G innovative applications and sounding the clarion call for the large-scale development of 5G industry applications. Xiao Yaqing, Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, attended the meeting and emphasized the need to "build, develop and apply 5G well" and fully promote 5G industry application innovation to better serve the high-quality development of the economy and society.

Figure: National 5G Industry Application Scale Development Conference

　　The implementation of a series of policy "combination punches" has set off a wave of 5G application development across the country. Local governments have launched 5G development action plans based on local actual needs and industry characteristics. Statistics show that as of the end of December 2021, various provinces and cities have issued a total of 583 5G support policy documents, including 70 provincial, 264 municipal, and 249 district and county levels.

　　Speeding up network construction

　　5G moves from cities to towns

　　Under the strong guidance of policies, local governments, telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, industry organizations and other parties have worked together to adhere to the principle of "moderate advancement" and jointly promote the construction of 5G networks. At present, my country has built the world's largest 5G independent networking (SA) network, and 5G network coverage is becoming more and more complete. 5G is extending from cities to towns.

　　In the past year, local governments have played an important role in promoting 5G construction. Many places have strengthened top-level design, formulated special plans and action plans for 5G construction, and effectively solved local 5G base station site approval, public resource opening, power supply needs and other issues by establishing 5G working groups and establishing linkage working mechanisms. This has provided convenience and support for 5G construction and effectively promoted the development of 5G.

　　Telecom operators, as the "main force" of 5G construction, have made 5G construction a priority in 2021. The latest statistics show that by the end of November 2021, my country had built a total of 1.396 million 5G base stations, covering all cities above the prefecture level, more than 97% of counties and districts, and 50% of townships and towns. 5G co-construction and sharing has deepened, with telecom operators co-building and sharing more than 800,000 5G base stations, promoting the intensive and efficient development of 5G networks.

Figure: 5G network coverage is becoming more and more complete

　　It is worth mentioning that as 5G accelerates its penetration into all walks of life, the construction of 5G industry virtual private networks has also achieved remarkable results. 5G industry virtual private networks provide the necessary network conditions for vertical industry enterprises such as industry, mining, electricity, logistics, education, and medical care to fully utilize 5G technology to optimize production management and enable transformation and upgrading. So far, more than 2,300 5G industry virtual private networks have been built and put into commercial use in my country.

　　Abundant terminal supply

　　The number of 5G connections continues to rise

　　Terminals are an important factor affecting the development of 5G. In 2021, my country's 5G terminals have accelerated their penetration, and 5G mobile phones have become the "protagonist" favored by the market. As of the end of December 2021, a total of 671 5G terminals in my country have obtained network access licenses, including 491 5G mobile phones, 161 wireless data terminals, and 19 vehicle-mounted wireless terminals. The supply of 5G terminals in the market has been further enriched. It is particularly worth mentioning that the price of 5G mobile phones has dropped to less than 1,000 yuan, which strongly supports the popularization of 5G.

　　In terms of shipments, from January to December 2021, my country's 5G mobile phone shipments reached 266 million units, a year-on-year increase of 63.5%, accounting for 75.9% of mobile phone shipments in the same period, far higher than the global average of 40.7%.

　　The improvement of network coverage and the continuous improvement of terminal performance have led to a steady increase in the number of 5G users. As of the end of November 2021, the total number of mobile phone users of the three basic telecommunications companies reached 1.642 billion, of which the number of 5G mobile phone terminal connections reached 497 million, a net increase of 298 million from the end of the previous year.

　　Bloom Cup "upgrade"

　　The quantity and quality of participating projects have increased

　　With the concerted efforts of all parties, the development of 5G applications in my country is showing a trend of "blooming". The fourth "Blooming Cup" 5G application collection competition hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was unprecedented, collecting 12,281 projects from nearly 7,000 participating units, an increase of nearly 200% year-on-year, greatly enhancing the recognition of 5G in vertical industries such as industry, medical care, energy, and education. Basic telecommunications companies have played an important role in promoting the implementation of 5G applications, with more than 50% of the winning projects led by them. The proportion of participating projects that have signed commercial contracts in the competition has increased from 31.38% in the previous session to 48.82%, of which 28 new projects have been replicated and promoted from the 28 winning projects in the benchmark competition, and the enabling benefits of 5G for thousands of industries have been further demonstrated.