China boasts over 3.37 mln 5G base stations by end of 2023

China boasts over 3.37 mln 5G base stations by end of 2023

(ECNS) -- The number of China's 5G base station reached 3.377 million by the end of 2023, laying a solid foundation for network construction, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Friday.

China owned nearly 40 percent of the standard essential patents for 5G technology, leading the world, said Zhao Zhiguo, chief engineer of the ministry.

5G applications have been integrated into 71 national economic categories with over 94,000 applications and more than 29,000 virtual networks launched last year, according to Zhao.

China continued to develop green and low-carbon 5G networks in 2023 jointly.

5G mobile phone users in China hit 805 million by the end of last year, and 5G network access traffic penetration accounted for 47percent. According to estimates, 5G will drive a total economic output of 1.86 trillion yuan ($258.5 billion) in 2023, an increase of 29 percent compared to 2022.