5G pilot schemes for 7 cities

CHINA’S three major telecom operators will pilot 5G technology in several cities during the second half of this year, the Economic Information Daily reported yesterday. The pilot projects will be carried out in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Ningbo, the newspaper said, citing sources from the telecom giants China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. The companies will test the 5G technology, build base stations, and launch applications such as autonomous driving, smart cities, and smart homes based on the network, according to the report. China plans to commercialise 5G mobile networks, which provide much faster connectivity and lower energy consumption, as early as 2020. – Xinhua