ThePaper.cn:

Last year, China's information and communication industry experienced steady and continuous growth, leading globally in 5G innovation. Could you please provide information on the current status and future focus of 5G infrastructure construction and applications in China?

Zhao Zhiguo:

Thank you for your question. The MIIT has been implementing the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, making solid progress in the innovative development of China's 5G. As of the end of 2023, the total number of 5G base stations in China reached 3.377 million, with a further consolidation of network infrastructure and continuous enrichment of internet applications. In general, the following four characteristics can be summarized.

First is innovation. The innovative capabilities of the 5G technology industry in terms of technical standards, network equipment, terminal devices, etc., have continuously strengthened. Lightweight 5G core networks and customized base stations have been commercially deployed. A batch of new terminal devices, such as 5G industrial gateways and inspection robots, have been successfully developed. Our global share of standard essential patent declarations for 5G exceeds 42%, maintaining a leading position worldwide.

Second is integration. The breadth and depth of integrated applications continue to expand, with 5G industrial applications integrated into 71 categories of the national economy, over 94,000 application cases, and more than 29,000 5G industry virtual private networks. 5G applications have been extensively promoted in industries such as manufacturing, mining, power, ports, and medicine. For example, in the medical industry, 5G applications have extended from remote diagnosis to remote precision treatment. In the power sector, 5G applications have expanded from unmanned inspections in the "transmission" stage to cover the entire process of "generation, transmission, transformation, distribution, and utilization."

Third is green. 5G networks are accelerating towards intensive, efficient, green, and low-carbon development. Existing station resources, public resources, and social pole and tower resources were fully utilized to build 5G base stations. The bidirectional sharing of communication pole and tower resources and social pole and tower resources was actively promoted. Currently, over 90% of base stations achieve co-construction and sharing. The energy consumption of 5G base stations continues to decrease, with a single-site energy consumption reduction of over 20% compared to the initial commercial stage.

Fourth is value creation. The continuous growth of 5G mobile phone users and rapid increase in 5G traffic consumption have promoted the vigorous development of emerging businesses such as glasses-free 3D and cloud phones, effectively expanding the development space of the mobile communication market. As of the end of last year, there were 805 million 5G mobile phone users, and 5G network access traffic accounted for 47%. According to research institutions, it is estimated that in 2023, 5G directly drove a total economic output of 1.86 trillion yuan, a 29% increase from 2022.

Next, the MIIT will work together with various parties in production, academia, research, and application, strengthen inter-departmental collaboration, continuously promote the large-scale development of 5G applications, and achieve new results to provide strong support for promoting high-quality economic and social development. First is to strengthen policy guidance. We will study and introduce policies for the continued development of 5G applications, fully play the role of policy guidance, and promote the high-quality development of the entire 5G industry chain. Second is to deepen network coverage. We will accelerate 5G network construction, promote deep coverage of mobile networks in key locations, advance the construction of the 5G industry's virtual private networks, and provide network support for industry transformation and development. Third is to accelerate application expansion. We will focus on key industry application scenarios, set up demonstration benchmarks, strengthen promotion and application, and promote the large-scale development of 5G applications. Fourth is to enhance innovation capabilities. We will strengthen the construction of the 5G integration application standard system, continuously promote technological evolution and product development of 5G-A and lightweight 5G, etc. We will accelerate the research of 6G technology, conduct technical experiments, strengthen technological reserves, and deepen exchanges and cooperation. Thank you.