Broadband in China uses the slowest speed of 1Gbps

China has been successful in narrowing the digital divide and laying some of the foundation stones for the digital economy .

According to Chinese government data, the country’s three major carriers had a total of 622 million fixed-line broadband subscribers as of the end of August, up 32.1 million from the beginning of the year. Of those, 139 million – about 22% – were using networks with download speeds of 1Gbps or higher, up 47 million. Overall, 94% of broadband subscribers achieved speeds above 100Mbps.

Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games on September 23. (Photo: Xinhua)

In addition to its massive broadband user base, China also leads the world in 5G user base with 676 million as of June 30. Its success in deploying modern infrastructure and adding new subscribers here is due to a number of factors, including a supplier-side approach, the ability of policymakers to force down prices, and the large e-marketplaces of companies such as Tencent and ByteDance.

China Telecom's broadband average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to be 48.2 yuan (over 163,000 VND) and mobile ARPU is 46.2 yuan (156,000 VND) in the first half of 2023, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the ITU State of Broadband report shows that the number of unconnected people has dropped by 100 million to 2.6 billion in the past 12 months. “There has been a fundamental shift from a supply-driven to a demand-driven approach,” the report said.

The growth in connectivity has had a knock-on effect on digital transformation and post-pandemic pivots, leading to stronger demand for digital products and services. “We need to focus on the usage gap to connect the nearly 3 billion people who are not yet connected,” the report said. ITU also urged policymakers to consider lessons learned during the pandemic on the positive economic impact of infrastructure.

China deploys 5.5G technology at ASIAD 19

Advanced technologies such as 5.5G (5G Advanced) were deployed at the opening ceremony and other events of the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD 19) held in Hangzhou. An estimated 80,000 spectators and 20,000 staff gathered at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, where the opening ceremony took place. Mobile connectivity was smooth throughout the night.

5G and 5.5G are key technologies for the event to run smoothly, with 5.5G being 10 times faster than 5G, according to Chinese media. At the 2023 MWC Shanghai Conference, Ms. Meng Wanzhou – Huawei's rotating chairwoman – called 5.5G the next step of the 5G revolution.

According to China Mobile, other technologies are also deployed at the 19th Asian Games to meet the high demand for mobile connectivity during the tournament. China Mobile covers 168 areas in the stadium through 134 antennas with multiple frequency bands to handle telecommunication services everywhere.

China Telecom combines artificial intelligence and big data analytics to deploy the Internet more efficiently, making 5G “smarter” and adapting to diverse user requirements.

(According to Lightreading, Global Times)

5G network becomes the 'blood vessel' in the world's smart cities . 5G network, with the ability to transmit data quickly and stably, is the core factor in building smart cities around the world.

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