China to push 5G commercialisation even as Huawei faces US-led resistance in West
- Almost 60 per cent of China’s estimated tech spending of US$256 billion in 2019 will be allocated to telecommunications
China plans to accelerate commercialisation of 5G as development of the advanced wireless technology enters a “final sprint” phase, with winners poised to achieve accelerated economic development, according to a senior Chinese government official.
Wang Xinzhe, chief economist at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said the agency has set a number of priorities to speed up the commercialisation of 5G as the next generation wireless technology enters what he called the “final sprint”.
“The ministry will speed up commercialisation of 5G, building a telecommunications infrastructure that has high speed and with full coverage, as well as growing a stronger and bigger 5G industrial chain,” Wang said at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday, without disclosing a detailed timetable for the construction of 5G mobile networks.
China, the US, Japan and South Korea are the countries competing in the global race to launch commercial 5G mobile services, which are expected to drive the introduction of more industrial applications over the internet to support economic development and improve people’s livelihoods.
The five priorities singled out by the ministry are mainly designed to address the two challenges China is facing in 5G development: further development of the 5G industry and deeper integration of application for the technology, according to Wang.
