China Issues 5G Commercial Operations Licenses
MIIT, 6/06/19
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced today that it has issued 5G mobile communications commercial operating licenses to four companies, including the parent companies of China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK), China Unicom (NYSE: CHU; 0762.HK; 600050.SH), and China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK), as well as to national cable TV network operator China Broadcasting Network Corporation.
MIIT Minister Miao Wei stressed that after the issuance of 5G licenses, China will continue to welcome foreign-invested enterprises to actively participate in China's 5G market, to jointly pursue China's 5G development, and share China's 5G development results.
Editor's Note: China's issuance of 5G licenses today represents a significant acceleration of the timeline, as licenses were originally not expected to be granted until late this year. The acceleration of the process underscores a battle between China, the US, South Korea, and other countries to achieve global dominance in the 5G communications field.
China's mobile operators have already built out trial 5G networks in a number of cities, after receiving approval in early 2018 (see China's Telcos Greenlighted to Trial 5G in Major Cities, MD 4/19/18 issue.) For example, China Telecom has already launched 5G technology trials and built 5G trial networks in 17 cities; China Unicom announced in late April this year the launch of 5G trial networks in the main areas of 7 cities - including Beijing, Xiong'an (a new economic zone just south of Beijing), Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, and Hangzhou - as well as in hotspot areas of 33 other cities; and, as of early May, China Mobile was testing 5G networks in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou and Wuhan.
Keywords: regulation Miao Wei China Telecom China Mobile China Unicom wireless MIIT 5G CHL 0728.HK 0762.HK 0941.HK 600050.SH CHA CHU China Broadcasting Network Corporation Miao license national cable company
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