CNR:
Enormous progress has been made in the information and communications industry since the PRC was founded in 1949. As the minister of industry and information technology, what do you think of theprogressmade? Thank you.
Miao Wei:
Thank you for your question. Today's press conference is held at the Beijing Telegraph Building, which was built around the National Day in 1958. As a landmark building of New China, the building stands as a living monument to the development of the country's information and communications industry. It bore witness to the application of various communication technologies and businesses in people's daily life. From thetelegraphto thetelephone, and from the beeper to the cell phone and now the smart phone,the number of communication devices used in every Chinese household are sufficientto create a small exhibition. I think the progress in China's information and communications industry over the past seven decades lies in two major aspects.
The first aspect is serving the everyday needs of people. We tried to make communications services more accessible, faster and more affordable to meet people's aspirations for a better life.
Thanks to 70 years of continuous efforts, we have established the world's largest information and communications network. China has about one-fifth of the world's population but more than half of the total 4G base stations. It means that the average per-capita access to information infrastructure in China is much higher than the average global level. China has more than 45 million kilometers of fiber-optic cables, 1.7 billion phone users, 440 million internet broadband users, and a total of 854 million internet users. In addition, measures such as the project to provide telecommunications services to all villages and thetrialsto provide universal telecommunications services have also enabled people living in remote rural areas to enjoy the benefits of information and communications technologies.
We have made active efforts to promote the development of broadband facilities, further boost broadband speeds and lower the rates for internet services. Since 2014, the download speeds of both fixed and mobile broadband have increased nearly seven times. We have also vigorously enhanced the coverage of the fiber optic internet. At present, fiber optic internet connectioncovers 91% of Chinese households, of which 79.4% are enjoying services atspeeds of 100Mbps or above. These are all world's leading levels.
We have cancelled charges for domestic roaming and long-distance calls as well as data roaming. The fees for fixed and mobile internet services have been scrapped by more than 90% compared with those five years ago, enabling people tobenefitmore.
The second aspect is fueling economic and social development. First, on the development of new types of infrastructure, including 5G, the industrial internet and artificial intelligence, we have kept pace with advanced countries or have even led the world in some sectors.
Second,new business forms and models are constantly emerging. A world-class information and communications network has given birth to world-leading enterprises such as Huawei, Alibaba and Tencent, as well as new business forms such as e-commerce and the sharing economy. At the same time, the application of autonomous driving, intelligent home appliances, VR/AR, long-distance education and long-distance healthcare is thriving.
Third, the level of openness and cooperation has achieved a new high. As the world's most prosperous information and communications market, we encourage private investment in mobile communication resale, broadband access and internet data centers. We are ready to share development opportunities with foreign companies and are gradually increasing the openness of the telecom sector. We are also implementing the Belt and Road Initiative by improving information connectivity among participating countries. The internet and information communication have helped create an Information Silk Road in addition to the existing land, sea and air routes.
