China's 4G users touches 730 million

BEIJING: High-speed network 4G has become popular in China as the number of its users shot up to 734 million last year, a senior official has said.

Wen Ku, head of the Information and Communication Development Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the 4G industrial chain has taken shape in China, with strengthened research and development capabilities.

A total of 734 million 4G mobile users are there in China and 5G commercial operations will be launched in 2020, state-run Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

Wen said the ministry will promote the formation of a global unified 5G standard and push forward the use and innovation of 5G-based mobile internet and the Internet of Things to lay a foundation for 5G commercial operations in 2020.

China has 710 million Internet users as of June 2016, accounting for 51.7 per cent of its total population, exceeding the global average by 3.1 per cent, according to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) in August.

According to the report, almost 92 per cent of mobile Internet users in China use instant messaging apps and almost 80 per cent use news apps. Mobile search, online music and videos, as well as online payments were also among the most popular mobile applications.