China Mobile to launch 'Double Gigabyte' initiative to boost 5G coverage

China Mobile, the nation's top telecom carrier, has pledged to implement a "Double Gigabyte" initiative which would support superfast internet connection for both mobile and fixed broadband connections.

The company will allocate 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) to facilitate internet infrastructure construction to achieve this in 100 cities by 2020, China Mobile Vice-President Jian Qin said during a news conference in Shanghai last week.

The company said it would prioritize the use of 5G in high-resolution live broadcast, multimedia content production and gaming on the consumer end.

The upgraded 5G network is also expected to make the government's civic services and management more intelligent.

China Mobile's Shanghai branch launched a pilot program last month to recruit business partners to co-develop a series of consumer-facing 5G applications related to finance, gaming and family entertainment. Individual users can also apply online to be a part of the 5G trials.

Backed by both 5G coverage and a broadband gigabit network, customers stand to enjoy smart services including facial recognition and a virtual, holographic financial advisor in a pilot service hall at China Mobile's Shanghai unit.