China's mobile users' monthly expenditure is lower than the world's average thanks to the country's robust telecom network infrastructure development, Liu Liehong, vice minister of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said on Monday, which marked World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

The average monthly expenditure of a mobile user in China is $5.94, lower than the world's average of $11.36, Liu said at the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day conference in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province.

Liu also said the "digital gap" between cities and villages has been narrowed down dramatically as over 99 percent of large-sized villages in China are equipped with 4G network which is as fast as that in the city. He added China's mobile network speed ranks fourth while broadband speed ranks 16th globally.

China has been leading global 5G development with 819,000 5G base stations built so far, representing about 70 percent of the world's 5G base stations.

About 280 million mobile device users have joined the 5G network, accounting for over 80 percent of the world's total.

The country's standard essential patent declarations for 5G account for 38 percent, the most in the world.

"It's expected that 5G will bring 120 million yuan (about $18.65 million) of investment in network infrastructure construction and a total of 800 million yuan in data usage in 2025. 5G will also directly lead to about 2.93 trillion yuan of economic added value," Liu said. 

China to accelerate digital transformation in 5G era

China's three major telecom operators – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – have announced their new plans to promote 5G in the digital transformation of other industries.

"We've been working on integrating 5G with other industries for many years. First, we plan to build over 52,000 base stations in Henan province by the end of this year. Second, we aim to train talents who have the expertise in both 5G and other industries. The third is to build industrial internet platforms so that our network can help various industries," Ho Bo, vice manager of China Mobile Communication Group in Henan, told CGTN. 

It's in line with China's "5G-Plus Industrial Internet" strategy. So far, more than 1,100 "5G-Plus Industrial Internet" projects are under construction, covering 22 industries, including cement, automobiles, petrochemical, steel, mining and oil fields.

Other key players like China Tower, China Broadcasting Network Corporation, Huawei and Datang are also speeding up 5G network construction.  

Tech Breakdown: What has China achieved in 5G development so far?