(ECNS) -- China's three major telecom operators have won government approval to pilot fifth-generation (5G) networks in multiple cities across the country, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
China Unicom will launch its tests in 16 cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guiyang, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Fuzhou, Zhengzhou and Shenyang.
China Mobile is planning 5G tests in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou and Wuhan, with at least 100 base stations to be established in each city. The telecom operator will also demonstrate the 5G application in 12 cities, including Beijing, Chengdu and Shenzhen.
China Telecom will expand its existing tests to six more cities in addition to Xiong'an, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chengdu and Lanzhou.
Meanwhile, China Unicom also confirmed its 2G services were being streamlined with a dwindling number of base stations so as to provide better, faster Internet access.
Despite the co-existence of 2G, 3G and 4G networks in China, an insider said 2G networks are fading, and 3G networks are also set to decline, while 4G networks are the present norm and 5G, the future.
5G is expected to usher in an Internet revolution, as the peak rate of speed can be more than 10 times that of a 4G network, making next-generation mobile communication technology enough for applications like AR, VR, Internet of Things and smart driving.
