China to add 600,000 5G base stations in 2021

BEIJING -- China will build more than 600,000 5G base stations next year, said Xiao Yaqing, minister of industry and information technology at a working conference on Monday.

In 2021, the ministry will promote the construction and application of 5G networks in an orderly manner, accelerate the 5G coverage in major cities and advance co-construction and sharing.

It will focus on 10 key industries, form 20 typical industrial application scenarios, carry out industrial 5G network pilot projects and timely release 5G millimeter wave frequency plans for some frequency bands, said Xiao.

More efforts will be made to optimize and upgrade the network, increase the number of gigabit network users to more than 200 million, and crack down on infringements of users' rights and interests by apps.