Dawn of Digital Revolution
The benefits of 5G technology are on the horizon
Famed for pandas and hotpot, the city of Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan Province now has a new distinction. Sino-ocean Taikoo Li, a shopping center at the heart of the city, is in the spotlight as the first demonstration block for a domestic fifth-generation (5G) network as China steps up efforts to switch to 5G. Playing a leading role in the bid, Chengdu had the first 5G bus in the country run on its streets on December 5. One of the perks of the 5G bus is that passengers can download high-resolution films in seconds as the new telecommunication technology makes many impossibles possible.
A new round of the digital revolution is taking place across the globe. 5G communication technology, with faster Internet speed and quicker transfer of data, can better meet people’s communication and entertainment needs and transform various industries.
According to a report released by Global Mobile Suppliers Association, 192 operators in 81 countries had conducted field trials of 5G technologies, deployed 5G networks and invested in related sectors by November. As the world quickens its pace to embrace the 5G revolution, China is also moving fast to deploy the technologies for smarter growth.
Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) Intelligence, a database for global mobile operators, projects that China will become the largest 5G market in 2025, accounting for one third of worldwide users. According to a plan issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission in August, the commercial use of 5G technologies will take off in 2020.
“5G technologies herald not only great improvements in people’s lives and industrial production but also huge commercial opportunities. Great breakthroughs have been made in terms of setting standards and launching trials, but issues such as safety and the information infrastruc- ture still remain to be resolved before across- the- board commercialization,” Chen Baoming, Director of the Research Institute of Comprehensive Development of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development, told Beijing Review.
Deadline 2020
The Chinese began using the first 2G phones around 1995, which allowed Internet surfing and texting. Few people could have thought at the time that the leap to 3G or even 4G would follow so closely. Today, China has the largest 4G mobile communication network, benefiting more than 1 billion domestic users with various high-speed mobile applications.
As the 5G era approaches, China has become an important participant in research and development. Many leading enterprises have made innovations in developing and applying 5G technology.
“Looking at the development of the Chinese telecom industry, focus on research and innovation is the most important for domestic enterprises,” Ge Qi, General Manager of Strategic Cooperation of GSMA in Greater China, told the media.
China’s three largest telecom giants— China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom—are building research centers, formulating relevant rules and exploring combining the Internet of Things (IOT) and cloud computing with 5G technology. They are also promoting industrial cooperation. Domestic manufacturers too have played a key role by providing strong technologi-