🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

China’s ‘1.2 billion 5G users’ likely counts subscribers not on 5G

• Chinese carriers call anyone on a 5G plan a “5G user” even if they use 4G phones and networks, which inflates totals 1.
• In September 2020 China Telecom and China Mobile said they had 150 million “5G package customers” but only 94 million 5G devices had shipped 1.
• By late 2022 China had 1 billion 5G subscribers, yet only 500 million used 5G due to device limits or staying on 4G 2.
• This method suggests the 1.2 billion count overstates real 5G adoption. Many still use 4G though carriers label them as 5G users.

Vendors target China’s 5G-Advanced upgrades in 330 plus cities

• China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom plan about $3 billion for 5G-Advanced (5G-A) in 2025, and China Mobile will upgrade over 400,000 base stations 3.
• China Telecom aims to upgrade in 330 cities by October 2025, and China Unicom wants full urban coverage in 39 by year-end within builds across 300 cities 3.
• The upgrades need Radio Access Network (RAN) gear and test tools to verify marketed 10x peak speeds for 5G-A 4.
• Liquid cooling systems, which circulate coolant to cool base-station hardware, can cut energy costs by 30% in 5G builds and lower operating expenditure (opex) in 5G-A upgrades 2.
• Vendors should focus on places with low-altitude economy initiatives (government-backed programs to commercialize drones and other low-altitude services) like Shenzhen and Hangzhou, where China Mobile is piloting drone services that need 5G-A 3.