(File photo: VCG)

China said it will install more than 50,000 5G base stations in 50 cities across the country by the end of the year, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Han Xia, director of China’s Industry and Information Technology Ministry, made the announcement at the Smart China Expo 2019 kicked off on Monday at Chongqing International Expo Center.

In June, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued 5G commercial licenses to China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Broadcasting, marking the next stage of 5G in commercial promotion and development.

Han said that by the end of July, the ministry had issued seven approval papers and 370,000 entry marks for 5G equipment. And multiple key technologies of 5G have made breakthroughs, he added.

The three major operators in China plan to build a 5G+ ecosystem in cooperation with local governments, industry, universities and scientific research institutes. Among them, China Mobile unveiled its plan to invest 24 billion yuan ($3.4 billion) in 5G development. China Unicom said it will invest 8 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) while China Telecom planned to investment 9 billion yuan ($1.3 billion).

While adhering to going out and bringing in, Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm and other enterprises have participated in China’s 5G market, and domestic enterprises are also accelerating the process of international development, said Han.

(Compiled by Cui Chunhui)