Firms set sights on 5G networks

Chinese tech companies and telecom carriers are speeding up their efforts to develop 5G communications technology and hope to hold trials in 2018.

The new generation of network, which is expected to offer superfast speed, will allow users to download an 8-gigabit movie in a few seconds and execute tasks that are impossible in the 4G era, such as autonomous manufacturing and the widespread use of robots.

China plans to fully commercialize 5G in 2020 and the nation's tech companies say they are making significant progress.