5G pre-subscriptions in China exceeds 7 million
CGTN
VCG Photo

VCG Photo

More than seven million mobile phone users in China have pre-subscribed to 5G service contracts as of Wednesday, and the number is still increasing.  

The country's three major telecom carriers – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – have all started to take pre-orders since the end of September. 

They are luring early adopters with discounts in service fees and 5G handsets. For example, China Telecom offered pre-subscribers 20 to 30 percent discounts in contract fees and up to 600 yuan off when they buy 5G smartphones.  

China's three major telecom carriers - China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – have all started to take pre-orders of 5G services from the end of September./VCG Photo

China's three major telecom carriers - China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – have all started to take pre-orders of 5G services from the end of September./VCG Photo

However, the detailed pricing schemes have not been unveiled yet, which are expected to be mapped out by the end of October.   

China Unicom has revealed last month that the pricing for its 5G services would start from 199 yuan (28 U.S. dollars) per month, and consumers are expecting similar pricing plans from the other two carriers.  

Experts have predicted that the overall price of 5G services could initially be higher than existing services, as companies seek to recoup the costs of constructing the new networks. 

All the three carriers have said they'll be able to provide 5G networks to at least 40 cities by the end of 2019, and their current subscribers can upgrade to 5G services without changing their phone numbers. 

Actually, trial operations of 5G services have been offered by the carriers in a string of cities since August, and users with 5G smartphones can apply to experience 5G network speeds of up to 1Gbps for free.  

The full commercial rollout of the 5G is expected to take place in China by 2020.

Before the rollout, some of the concerns include hefty bills for the use of excessive data under the hyper-speed networks.

According to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the shipment of 5G smartphones in the Chinese market stood at 219,000 in August.  

Still, China will become the world's largest 5G market, with 460 million 5G users by 2025, according to a report by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).