Nearly 5 Million 5G Base Stations Power China’s Digital Economy Growth
China is rapidly expanding its telecommunications infrastructure, accelerating the shift from 5G to advanced 5G-A technology while preparing for the future commercialization of 6G. By the end of March, the country had established nearly 4.96 million 5G base stations and expanded its optical fiber network to 74.99 million kilometers. Around two-thirds of mobile users in China are now connected to 5G, making it the world’s largest and most advanced communications network.
The upgraded 5G-A network, which offers significantly faster data upload and download speeds, has already been deployed across 330 cities. China is also transitioning from the current “dual-gigabit” era toward a “dual-10-gigabit” infrastructure. Between 2026 and 2030, the country plans to add 500,000 more 5G-A base stations and one million high-speed optical network ports, while pilot 10-gigabit optical network projects are underway in 168 communities, factories, and industrial parks across 86 cities.
China’s Next-Gen Connectivity Drive Set to Boost Trillion-Yuan Industries
China’s investment in next-generation connectivity is delivering substantial economic benefits. During the first five years of 5G commercialization, the technology directly generated about 5.6 trillion yuan ($824 billion) in economic output and indirectly contributed around 14 trillion yuan. Looking ahead, 6G is expected to enter commercial use around 2030, with the sector projected to create trillion-yuan industries by 2035 through the integration of artificial intelligence, sensing technologies, and satellite communications.
