Beijing set to launch 5G, for only 18 dollars a month

The Ministry for Industry and Information Technology made the announcement today. China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom are ready to offer the service to the major cities of the country. A race against time in competition with South Korea and the United States.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - China launched a nationwide 5G mobile connectivity service this morning. Chen Zhaoxiong, deputy minister for industry and information technology, announced today that by the end of the year there will be 130,000 cell towers for 5G, which will allow coverage of the largest cities in the country. The 5G (fifth generation of connection) allows greater speed in data transmission and a greater volume of app use by many users at the same time.

The three Chinese mobile telephony companies, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have all announced plans for a 5G service at 128 yuan a month (about 18 US dollars). China Mobile has assured that it will guarantee the service to at least 55 major cities in the country.

China had planned to launch 5G services by 2020, but has accelerated implementation due to competition from other nations that want to exploit the huge market that is opening up with the latest development in connectivity. South Korea started 5G commercial services last April and in the US there are already some areas where this service is available.

• China
• economy
• United States
• South Korea
• mobile telephony
• 5G
• information technology
• huawei
• competition