China had built 3.189 million 5G base stations by the end of September in its push to propel the digital and intelligent transformation of the real economy, official data showed Friday.

There were 22.6 5G stations per 10,000 people in China by last month, Zhao Zhiguo, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), told a press conference.

The application of 5G in mining, power supply and other industrial sectors has helped firms enhance efficiency and cut costs, said Zhao. Enabled by 5G, ultra high-definition videos, augmented reality and virtual reality are enriching lives and facilitating production.

The country has also made active contributions to formulating 5G global standards. By the end of last month, it was in possession of 42 percent of the world's standard essential patents declared for 5G technology, according to the ministry.

The number of gigabit broadband users had reached 145 million in China by the end of last month.

High-tech manufacturing facilitated

China has vigorously promoted the development of advanced manufacturing, and the investment in its high-tech manufacturing increased by 11.3 percent in the first three quarters compared with a year earlier, said Zhao.

The cultivation of new products, new industries and new forms of business was accelerated in the first nine months, with rapid growth achieved in new energy vehicles (NEVs), photovoltaic products, spacecraft and aerospace equipment.

Nearly 10,000 digital workshops and smart factories were constructed in efforts to advance the process of digital transformation.

In terms of the electronic information manufacturing, Tao Qing, MIIT spokesperson, said the industry has maintained steady expansion since the start of the year.

Mobile phone production reached 1.09 billion units in the past three quarters, a year-on-year increase of 0.8 percent. In September alone, the country's mobile phone output jumped 11.8 percent from a year ago, said Tao.

The output of solar cells was 384 gigawatts during the period, soaring 63.2 percent year on year.

Robust growth in NEV industry

The country's NEV industry also maintained a strong momentum of development in the first three quarters in its production and sales, technological improvement, brand competitiveness and supporting infrastructure, said Tao.

NEV production and sales in the past three quarters reached 6.313 million units and 6.278 million units, with year-on-year growth of 33.7 percent and 37.5 percent, respectively, and NEV sales accounted for 29.8 percent of total new car sales.

A total of 825,000 NEVs were exported, a 1.1 times increase over the same period last year.

The supporting facilities had been expanded, with roughly 6.28 million charging piles and 3,460 power change stations built by September. More than 10,000 power battery recycling service outlets were established, and test roads spanning over 20,000 kilometers for intelligent connected vehicles opened.

Tao said the country will further implement the 2021-2035 development plan for NEVs to promote the high-quality development of the industry.

(With input from Xinhua)