On the morning of April 18, the State Council Information Office (hereinafter referred to as "SCIO") held a regular press conference on economic data to introduce the development situation of industry and information technology in the first quarter of 2025.
Regarding the current status of digital industry development, Xie Shaofeng, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stated that digital technologies represented by 5G and large language models are developing rapidly, with business revenue of the digital industry completing a year-on-year growth of 8.2% in the first two months. The capabilities of network infrastructure continue to improve. By the end of March, a total of 4.395 million 5G base stations have been built and put into operation, the number of 10G PON ports capable of gigabit network services reached 29.25 million, the 5G user penetration rate reached 75.9%, and the number of gigabit broadband users reached 218 million households.
Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Xie Shaofeng, SCIO
Regarding the development trend of the information and communication industry in the first quarter, Xie Cun, director of the Department of Information and Communication Development, stated that in the first quarter, the volume of telecommunications business increased by 7.7% year-on-year, and the cumulative business income reached 446.9 billion yuan, laying a good foundation for the work throughout the year.
The main manifestations of the development situation are as follows:
Continuous consolidation of network infrastructure
A total of 4.395 million 5G base stations have been built, achieving "5G access in every township." The proportion of administrative villages with 5G access reached 90%. On the basis of "gigabit optical network access in every county," pilot programs for ten-thousand-gigabit optical networks were launched in 168 residential areas, factories, and parks in 86 cities nationwide. Frequencies of 2G, 3G, and 4G systems were reallocated for use in 5G systems, continuously improving the capacity and signal coverage of 5G networks. The number of standard racks in operational computing power centers exceeded 9 million.
Continuous demonstration of application empowerment
In terms of individual users, there are 1.068 billion 5G mobile phone users and 218 million gigabit broadband users. In the industrial sector, more than 18,500 national projects under the "5G + Industrial Internet" initiative have been completed, and 700 high-level 5G factories have been selected. 5G applications have integrated into 80 out of 97 major categories of the national economy, with a total of over 138,000 cases. Large-scale replication has been achieved in industries such as mining and ports, effectively assisting industrial enterprises in improving quality and reducing costs. In the fields of healthcare and education, full-process and full-scenario coverage has been realized, strongly supporting efficient and equitable public services.
Ongoing deepening of industrial innovation
The global share of 5G standard essential patents exceeds 42%, placing China at the forefront globally in technical and industrial strength. Everyone is very concerned about 6G research and development. We have guided the establishment of the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group to pool efforts and promote 6G innovation. Over 50 research results, including the "Overall Vision and Potential Key Technologies for 6G," have been released. Testing and validation of 6G key technologies such as sensing integration and wireless AI have been organized to accelerate technological maturity. At the same time, further international exchanges and cooperation in the field of 6G with countries and regions such as the EU, South Korea, and India have been deepened.
Ongoing expansion of openness
In the first quarter, 13 foreign-funded enterprises were granted pilot approval for value-added telecommunications business operations. Encouragement was given to foreign-funded enterprises to invest in and deepen their presence in China. By the end of March, China had more than 2,400 foreign-invested telecommunications enterprises, an increase of 26.5% compared to the same period last year.
Director of the Department of Information and Communication Development, Xie Cun, SCIO
For subsequent development, Mr. Xie Cun added that next, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will earnestly implement the work deployment of the Government Work Report, provide greater policy support and resource guarantees, and make greater efforts in breadth, depth, and intensity to promote high-quality industry development.
First, efforts will be made to expand the breadth of network construction and application, continuously enhancing the coverage breadth of "double gigabits" networks consisting of 5G and gigabit optical networks, and systematically advancing the development of computing power networks;
Second, the upgraded version of the "5G + Industrial Internet" 512 project and the three-year action plan for identifier "connectivity" will be implemented. The summary and evaluation of key cities in the "5G Application 'Sail' Action" will continue, and typical industries and key sectors will be promoted for scale application;
Third, efforts will be made to deepen the depth of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation integration, pooling forces from all aspects of industry, academia, research, and application to accelerate the R&D, standard formulation, mid-term testing, and industrial implementation of 6G technologies. Breakthroughs in integrated technologies such as communication, perception, intelligence, and computing will be strengthened, and forward-looking layouts and cultivation of 6G application industry ecosystems will be carried out;
Finally, efforts will be made to expand the intensity of openness in the telecommunications industry, orderly advancing the first batch of pilot programs for value-added telecommunications business openness, timely studying the expansion of the scope of openness, and attracting more qualified foreign-funded enterprises to invest and operate telecommunications businesses in our country.
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