What’s new: China had about 66 million devices, including cell phones, connected to the country’s 5G wireless network at the end of June, revealed Wen Ku, an official from Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Also, more than 400,000 5G base stations had been in use at the end of June, Wen said on Thursday, saying that the country is adding over 15,000 such base stations every week.
The background: China, which currently has the world’s most extensive 5G network, is expected to have over 600,000 5G base stations at the end of this year, according to previously announced targets.
Handset-makers have over the past year rushed to roll out phone models that support the technology, while mobile carriers have aggressively launched marketing campaigns to persuade users to switch to the new network.
Currently, 5G phones make up the bulk of China’s new smartphone shipments. In June, 5G phones shipments in China topped 17.5 million units, or 61% of the total handset delivery for the month, according to data from a research group affiliated to MIIT.
Related: Huawei and ZTE Win Contracts to Build 200,000 5G Base Stations
Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)
