Daniel Slotta
Research expert covering Greater China
5G in China - statistics & facts
As the latest generation of cellular network technology to reshape our interactions with mobile devices, 5G has been a highly anticipated technology. Apart from faster mobile internet connections, 5G will also enable the connectivity of diverse gadgets, which together make 5G the basis for a lot of key technological trends, such as autonomous vehicles, Internet-of-things (IoT), and cloud computing. In 2022, there were around two billion mobile 5G subscriptions worldwide, which was forecasted to surge to almost five billion by 2026. Among all the countries in the world, China was forecasted to lead the way in terms of the number of 5G connections throughout the next five years, where the market revenue will skyrocket from 0.6 trillion yuan to over six trillion yuan in this decade.
Due to the sensitive nature of such technology, Huawei has faced various obstacles in expanding into the overseas 5G market, especially since more and more countries started to recognize 5G infrastructures as a key aspect of national security. Many have halted pilot projects or collaborations with Huawei, with a few of them announcing to ban Huawei from participating in the local 5G infrastructure market.
Rocky road of innovation
One reason behind the popularity of 5G in the country would be the technological advancements brought by the Chinese tech giant Huawei. Most well-known for manufacturing smartphones, Huawei dominated the 5G smartphone market in China and has been investing into cloud technologies and corresponding infrastructures in order to maintain its market leadership in the tech industry. However, as a response to U.S. sanctions the company has lost significant shares in the Chinese smartphone market and has since been overtaken by Apple and Vivo.Due to the sensitive nature of such technology, Huawei has faced various obstacles in expanding into the overseas 5G market, especially since more and more countries started to recognize 5G infrastructures as a key aspect of national security. Many have halted pilot projects or collaborations with Huawei, with a few of them announcing to ban Huawei from participating in the local 5G infrastructure market.
5G shaping the future
China has been anticipating the arrival of the 5G network and the profound impact it will have on everyday life. And it seems that the introduction of 5G smartphones to the market in the third quarter of 2019 has been met with enthusiasm, with between 10 and 20 million units being shipped every quarter in China. This surge in demand for 5G-enabled devices highlights the country's eagerness to embrace the new technology and its potential to transform the way people communicate and consume internet content.
