China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Monday the country has set up a total of nearly 1.43 million 5G base stations as of the end of 2021. The country now hosts over 60% of the global network.

About ten 5G base stations are serving every 10,000 people in China, nearly twice the number at the end of 2020. The government’s investment in 5G reached 184.9 billion yuan (about $29 billion) last year.

China intentds to expand 5G services and gigabit fiber-optic networks in 2022, with 5G users expected to exceed 560 million by 2023. At that rate, every 10,000 people in the country would be assisted by more than 18 base stations.

China continues to lead global growth in the next generation of telecommunications technology with the expansion of its 5G network. Major Chinese mobile operators began providing fifth-generation communication services to their customers in October 2019.

Throughout 2020, some 580,000 5G base stations were established in the country, with the network covering all major cities. Chinese tech giant Huawei announced plans last year to roll out its successor 6G network, which it aims to introduce to the market by 2030.
-RT