China experienced some impediments to its 5G rollout in 2021. But you could not tell that by the 654,000 5G base stations it added during the year, according to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). It’s effort, which reached a total of nearly 1.43 million cell sites, was reduced by cost sharing and the global chip shortage as Chinese telecom operators cut back on spending for 5G network construction by 25 percent in the first half of the year, according to NikkeiAsia.
Things didn’t get much better in the second half of 2021, as the U.S. parts supply dried up causing China’s 5G base installations to slow down. “China’s campaign to build up fifth-generation wireless infrastructure has lost steam as manufacturers here run out of U.S.-made components, forcing suppliers to make further inroads into the American and European markets instead,” NikkeiAsia reported. Even so, 5G phone shipments grew 63.5 percent in 2021 year over year to reach 266 million units.
Southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, which has more than 70,000 5G base stations, has been promoting the integration between 5G and various industries such as manufacturing and logistics, according to the State Council. Chongqing has launched industrial internet demonstration projects featuring remote control, intelligent logistics and others. Chongqing plans to build a total of 150,000 5G base stations by 2025.
China’s “5G + industrial internet” strategy has formed 20 application scenarios involving remote equipment control and quality inspection systems using machine vision in 10 key fields including mining, steel and power industries, according to Zhao Zhiguo, a spokesperson for the MIIT.
This year, the ministry is continuing its commitment to 5G industrial use cases, advancing 5G network construction and promoting the development of 5G applications. The 2021 China 5G + Industrial Internet Conference, held last November touted the country’s progress in “digitalization, networking and intelligent transformation and upgrading of domestic industries,” according to the Global Times.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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