China builds world's largest 5G mobile network

China has made initial achievements in building the world's largest 5G mobile network, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Monday.

Aerial photo taken on April 15, 2020 shows people working at the construction site of a 5G base station in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

The country has built a total of 792,000 5G base stations by the end of February this year, with the number of mobile terminals connected to the network reaching 260 million, Liu Liehong, vice minister of the MIIT, told a press conference.

The ministry also estimated 5G mobile phone shipments in China would account for 80 percent of the total shipments in the second half of this year.

China aims to build more than 600,000 5G base stations in 2021. The MIIT has pledged efforts to promote the construction and application of 5G networks in an orderly manner, accelerate 5G coverage in major cities and advance co-construction and sharing.