China's 5G has basically reached commercial level, and number portability will be implemented nationwide before November 30th

The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated at the State Council Policy Briefing held by the State Council Information Office on the 21st that China's 5G products are becoming increasingly mature, and the systems, chips, terminals and other links have basically reached the level of commercial use. They will continue to promote technological maturity and application development. In addition, nearly 2 million person times of number portability have been completed so far. The next step will be to promote enterprises to accelerate system transformation and testing, ensuring that number portability can be achieved nationwide by November 30th this year.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that at present, China has clarified the frequency planning and testing frequency of 5G mid frequency bands, formulated relevant allocation plans, and basic telecommunications enterprises have successively released plans for 5G deployment, actively carried out 5G trials, and promoted network construction.

Wen Ku, Director of the Information and Communication Development Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that with the joint efforts of all parties in the industry, 5G technology and products are becoming increasingly mature. The main links of the industrial chain, such as systems, chips, and terminals, have basically reached the commercial level and have the conditions for commercial deployment.

Next, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will continuously improve the policy environment, support relevant operating enterprises to carry out network construction, promote cooperation among relevant enterprises, and create a favorable environment for the development of 5G applications. On the basis of accelerating the maturity of the 5G industry chain, support the development and testing of enhanced 5G technologies to lay a solid foundation for future development.

Chen Zhaoxiong, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that number portability requires necessary modifications to the networks and operating systems of three basic telecommunications companies, involving updates to the operating systems of nearly 1.6 billion mobile users, and the work is relatively complex. At the same time, it is necessary to synchronously transform third-party platforms to ensure the user experience after transferring to the internet with their account numbers.

In the early stage, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology organized relevant enterprises to conduct experiments on number portability in 5 provinces and cities. The next step will be to promote enterprises to accelerate system transformation and testing, ensuring that number portability can be achieved nationwide before November 30th this year, truly achieving the goal of "having the number in hand, leaving as soon as you say".

In terms of network speed increase and fee reduction, Chen Zhaoxiong stated that in recent years, China has continuously strengthened the construction of network infrastructure and vigorously promoted speed increase and fee reduction. As of the end of March this year, the proportion of fiber broadband users in China has reached 91%, and the proportion of 4G users has reached 75%. In 2018, the average monthly fee per megabyte for fixed networks decreased by 95% compared to 2014.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will continue to improve network performance, promote network evolution and upgrading, and push for precise cost reduction. In response to the needs of low-income and elderly groups, we will promote basic telecommunications companies to launch a "floor price" tariff plan nationwide, providing maximum discounts to registered impoverished households, and requiring relevant companies to standardize package settings to enable consumers to consume clearly.

Information source: Chinese government website