China Maintains 5G Leadership Role in the Face of COVID-19

China has cemented its position as a global 5G leader as a result of significant operator investment and growing enthusiasm amongst consumers and enterprises, according to GSMA.

Mobile operators in China launched commercial 5G services last year and are leading the way in diversifying their offerings for both consumer and enterprise customers. 5G will account for almost half of the country’s mobile connections by 2025, representing an adoption rate on a par with other leading 5G markets such as Japan, South Korea and the US. Chinese operator investment forecasts are more than $180 billion over the next five years in mobile CAPEX, roughly 90 per cent of which will be on 5G networks.

“China is leading early adoption in 5G and has already built more than 160,000 5G base stations covering more than 50 cities as operators aim to expand standalone 5G network coverage and capacity,“ said Sihan Bo Chen, Head of Greater China, GSMA. “Unlocking the benefits of these next-generation networks, flexible policies, including for spectrum and infrastructure, are strategically important to support China’s ongoing transformation into a fully-fledged digital economy.“