China Officially Launches 5G Networks On November 1

Chinese carriers officially launched 5G services in the world's largest market on November 1, but the coverage remains limited only to major Chinese cities and key areas in lower-tier cities for the initial rollout. 

On Thursday, all three state-backed operators -- China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom -- unveiled similar 5G plans for local consumers, with plans starting at 128 yuan ($18) per month, which will provide consumers with 30GB data and 500 minutes of voice chat, according to a Sina news report. 

Subscribers of China Mobile that pay 598 yuan ($85) per month will be able to use 300GB of data with download speeds of up to 1Gbps, whereas the entry-level plans will only have 300Mbps download speeds.

The initial 5G services will be available in about 50 Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as second-tier provincial capital cities like Nanjing and Wuhan, according to local reports.

In Beijing, as many as 5,000 base stations have been installed by China Mobile alone, covering a majority of the core areas, but it is still unavailable for vast rural areas, according to the report. 

The launch of 5G by Chinese carriers is a step slow in comparison to local smartphone brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi, as they have already introduced several phone models over the past few months that can support 5G networks. 

But local consumers are believed to be excited about the 5G networks as more than 10 million users have registered for 5G plans from the three local Chinese carriers ahead of the launch, Chinese reports said in early October. 

Sales of 5G phones in China remain a very small portion of the overall market however, as only 219,000 5G smartphones were sold in China in August. This only accounted for 0.7% of the overall 30.8 million units of handsets sold in the country during that month, according to data from the government-backed China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

Related coverage

Half of China plays mobile games, report says

The overall mobile gaming market is showing an upward trend in China this year as incomes in June have increased by 21.5%, according to agency data

Vivo's Nex 3 lands: Flagship 5G phone with waterfall display, 64-megapixel camera

Vivo's 5G Nex 3 with a curved-edge screen shows that innovation in smartphones isn't dead yet

Two of China's major carriers team up for 5G network build-out

China Unicom has struck a deal with its rival China Telecom to build their 5G networks together to cut costs..

'Deepfake' app Zao sparks major privacy concerns in China

A clause in the Zao app's user agreement allowed developers to retain images of users and sell them to third parties.

Huawei starting 6G research in Canada, where it faces prospect of 5G ban (TechRepublic) 

Though 5G remains nascent, Huawei is already exploring 6G in Canada amid fears that the nation will ban it from providing 5G to mobile network operators.