Shanghai University of Engineering Science has become the first university in China to be covered by a 5G network, the university announced on Tuesday.
Chinese mobile carriers(运营商) are expected to spend 1.2 trillion yuan（US＄176.5 billion） on 5G by 2025,50 percent more than their total 4G investment (投资), Nomura said yesterday. Carriers including China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, are expected to build over 4.9 million 5G base stations by 2025.
5G is a" game﹣changing" opportunity for carriers as they can explore new business like smart manufacturing, super high definition video and smart driving, instead of just being a "pipeline" for voice and data services.
China will supply "temporary "5G licenses in several aimed cities this year. Consumers(消费者) will be able to use the first batch of 5G smart﹣phones and tablet computers in the second half. It's the first time that China's top industry regulator clarified the 5G industry timeline, especially the first appearance of 5G phones.
But 5G services will become accessible to normal consumers later than expected. More work needs to be done to make the 5G industry fully developed, which won't happen until 2020, said UBS recently. New business projects and organizations, rather than normal consumers, will enjoy 5G services at first. The first batch of 5G services will be available to consumers in about 10 cities only.
