China leads the way as it trials 5G broadband across 100 cities
China is conducting trials of 5G telecommunications equipment that will cover over 100 cities, as it looks to get a head start in the cellular phone systems race. 5G networks should theoretically be able to transmit data 20 times faster than 4G. China is already the world's largest 4G market, with 1.3 million users as of the end of 2015, and is the only nation with the sufficient scale to trial the new 5G standard. “We believe ‘China Inc’ has a strong vested interest in ensuring a significant amount of Chinese technology is embedded in the 5G standard, finally freeing them of their dependency on foreign technology and the need to pay royalties,” says Bernstein Research's Chris Lane.
Competition is likely to be fierce among network operators like China Mobile to lead the pack in rolling out 5G services. Photo: Imaginechina