Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: More than 819,000 5G base stations have been built in China, accounting for about 70% of the world

According to the Weibo account of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, on May 12th, Liu Liehong, a member of the Party Group and vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, presided over a special meeting on 5G/6G. He listened to the reports from experts of the IMT-2020 (5G)/IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group on the progress of 5G and 6G work and studied the related work to promote the development of 5G and 6G. Han Xia, the chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, attended the meeting. 

The meeting emphasized that 5G and 6G, as important directions for the evolution and upgrade of new-generation information and communication technologies, are key information infrastructure for achieving the interconnection of all things and important driving forces for the transformation and upgrading of the economy and society. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has resolutely implemented the decisions and plans of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, fully leveraged the platform role of the IMT-2020 (5G) and IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Groups, organized the efforts of all parties including industry, academia, research, and application, made close deployments and coordinated advancements, and achieved positive results in the development of 5G and 6G. 

The meeting pointed out that with the joint efforts of the industry, China has gained a leading edge in 5G development. It has built over 819,000 5G base stations, accounting for about 70% of the global total. The number of 5G mobile terminal users has reached 280 million, accounting for more than 80% of the global total. The proportion of declared 5G standard essential patents has exceeded 38%, rising by nearly 5 percentage points since the first half of last year, ranking first in the world. We must continue to maintain strategic resolve and promote the rapid and healthy development of 5G. First, we should continue to strengthen international standard setting. We should encourage the industry to participate in the R17 and R18 international standardization work and actively contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions. Second, we should continuously enhance the industrial foundation and modernize the industrial chain. We should strengthen the advantageous industries such as systems and terminals, make up for the shortcomings in chips and instruments, and vigorously promote the optimization and upgrading of all links in the industrial chain. Third, we should strive to create an integrated application ecosystem. We should focus on application technology innovation, promote the integrated development of 5G with artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and other technologies, break through key technologies and products that restrict the large-scale application of 5G such as network slicing and modules, deepen the application of 5G in industries such as industry, transportation, medical care and energy, and form replicable and scalable models as soon as possible. 

The meeting fully affirmed the outstanding achievements made by the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group since its establishment in 2020, and a number of important research results have been formed in terms of 6G vision and requirements, as well as potential key technologies. The meeting required the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group to further plan ahead, strengthen research, and steadily promote the development of 6G. First, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research on 6G application scenarios. Based on the existing 5G, combined with technological evolution and the development trend of the economy and society, the vision, requirements and application scenarios of future 6G should be studied and proposed. Second, efforts should be made to promote breakthroughs in key technological innovations. Focusing on potential 6G technologies such as terahertz communication, integrated communication and sensing, and the integration of communication and artificial intelligence, proactive planning, forward-looking deployment, and laying a solid foundation should be carried out to strive for major breakthroughs in key core technologies. Third, actively promote international exchanges and cooperation. We must always adhere to the concept of openness and cooperation, strengthen cooperation with major countries, industrial organizations, various enterprises, and research institutions, seek common ground while reserving differences, deepen consensus, and jointly promote the development of 6G. 

Academicians, experts, scholars and industry representatives from the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group and the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group attended the meeting. Relevant officials from the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Information and Communication Development, the Department of Information and Communication Administration, and the Department of Cybersecurity Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as well as from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, also participated in the meeting.