Two smartphones connected to the 5G network (R) and the 4G network (L) are shown for comparison by a Chinese mobile service provider at the 2019 Smart China Expo in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on August 26, 2019. (Photo/Xinhua)
China's three telecom giants have been taking reservations for 5G network services, and nearly 10 million customers had booked the services as of Tuesday. Experts noted that the large-scale implementation of the next-generation network will still take time, but it will be much faster than former generations.
Registrations through China Mobile, the leading telecom carrier of the country, stood at 5.74 million, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total, according to data from the company released on Tuesday.
China Unicom and China Telecom, the other two major telecom carriers, each had nearly 2 million reservations achieved with different preferential measures.
"China's promotion of 5G construction will be much faster than 4G, given that many in the country, including telecom carriers and governments, are aware of the significance of taking a leading position in the new 5G era," Xiang Ligang, a Beijing-based veteran industry analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The progress of 5G network infrastructure, such as base stations, may be better than expected, Xiang said.
Local governments have been actively involved in the promotion of network construction as well, Xiang said.
Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, said in a statement in September it would reward telecom carriers for building 5G base stations and encourage social capital to set up 5G industry development funds.
Media reports recently noted that packages of 5G network services could cost more than current 4G packages. The price of China Unicom's 5G packages during the transition from 4G to 5G would be at least 190 yuan ($26.7) per month, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Wang Xiaochu, chairman of the company.
