China will support telecom operators to expand standalone 5G network coverage and capacity, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The standalone 5G network, known as the "real" 5G deployment with 5G core as its center, makes full use of the 5G mobile network covering high throughput, low latency communications, massive IoT and network slicing.

Meanwhile, telecommunication enterprises should further optimize the operation processes of equipment procurement, survey design and engineering construction to seize the construction period and mitigate the impact of the epidemic, said MIIT.

The country will also cultivate new consumption models, speed up the migration to 5G, and promote the development of 5G plus medical health, 5G plus industrial internet and 5G plus car networking.

China Telecom, one of the major telecommunication operators in China, has put about 75,000 5G base stations in operation nationwide, industrial data showed. The company aims at completing the construction of 300,000 5G base stations by the end of this year.

China Telecom will work with China Unicom, another telecom giant, to build 250,000 5G base stations across the country by the end of the third quarter.

The country will expedite the construction of "new infrastructure" projects such as 5G networks and data centers, shoring up information services for the new consumption.

"Speeding up the development of 5G in China could benefit the upgrade of infrastructures, stabilize domestic investments, boost employment and entrepreneurship, and improve government services," said Wang Zhiqin, vice president of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

"The 5G industrial ecology is gradually becoming mature," said Wang, adding that there are currently more than 40 kinds of 5G terminals in the network.

The policy environment for 5G has also been improving. Over 20 provinces across the country released instructions or action programs of 5G since China started to issue 5G commercial licenses in 2019.

Wang said that China should also be aware of the challenges of 5G development, including the pressure in network construction, immature application markets, and development of core technologies.

(Top image via VCG)