As the world marks World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2026 under the theme "Digital Lifelines: Strengthening Resilience in a Connected World," China's information and communication technology sector is entering a new stage of development.

After years of rapid network expansion, the focus is shifting from broad connectivity toward more resilient, intelligent infrastructure designed to support public services, industrial digitalization and emergency response systems.

Infrastructure expansion

Data released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed that by the end of March 2026, it had built 4.958 million 5G base stations, including 120,000 added during the first quarter alone. 5G stations now account for 38.2% of all mobile base stations nationwide.

The number of 5G mobile subscribers reached 1.254 billion, representing 68.3% of total mobile users. Meanwhile, gigabit broadband subscribers rose to 249 million, accounting for 35.8% of fixed broadband users, and total fixed internet broadband subscribers climbed to 697 million.

Mobile Internet of Things (IoT) terminal connections reached 2.948 billion by the end of the quarter, reflecting continued digital adoption across manufacturing, transportation, logistics and consumer services.

Mobile internet traffic also continued to grow steadily. During the first quarter of 2026, mobile internet usage totaled 104.4 billion GB, up 19.1% year-on-year, according to MIIT data.

6G moves toward system-level verification

At the same time, attention is also turning toward the next generation of wireless communication technologies.

At the 2026 Global 6G Technology and Industry Ecosystem Conference held in Nanjing in April, Purple Mountain Laboratories unveiled China's first pre-6G integrated communication network infrastructure.

The test network includes 16 interconnected nodes built around an integrated space-air-ground-sea architecture centered on Purple Mountain Science City. According to researchers, the system supports low-altitude continuous coverage of up to 50 kilometers and maritime communication coverage extending 27 kilometers offshore. Air-interface latency has reportedly been reduced to microsecond levels with reliability reaching 99.9999%.

You Xiaohu, an academic and director of Purple Mountain Laboratories, said 6G would go beyond traditional data transmission by integrating communication, sensing, computing and artificial intelligence into a unified system capable of supporting real-time analysis and autonomous decision-making.

A new report released at the conference anticipates that the direct industrial scale of 6G will exceed 5 trillion yuan ($690 billion) by 2030, with AI inference services becoming the core application driver.

Building more resilient networks

These technological advances carry profound implications for societal resilience. In the wake of increasing climate extremes and geopolitical uncertainties, China's integrated space-air-ground-sea networks ensure that "when terrestrial infrastructure fails, the sky remains connected."

China has also continued expanding digital access in rural areas. MIIT's data shows that more than 98% of administrative villages now have access to gigabit optical networks, while 5G coverage has reached more than 95% of villages nationwide.

The expansion of high-speed networks is increasingly supporting applications in telemedicine, remote education and smart agriculture, particularly in less developed regions.

Global standards development

China's telecom industry has also been promoting broader international cooperation in emerging technologies.

At MWC Barcelona 2026, Chinese telecom companies and research institutions showcased developments in cloud infrastructure, computing networks and integrated communication systems as part of ongoing efforts to participate in global standards development and industrial collaboration.