CAICT: China's 4G Subscriber Base to Surpass 700 Mln in 2016
C114, 6/08/16
China's total number of 4G mobile network users is expected to surpass 700 mln in 2016, according to new data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The CAICT report says that 4G network user experience and innovation in Internet applications are speeding up the migration of 2G and 3G users to 4G networks, so that more than half of mobile users will be using 4G networks by the end of this year.
Network construction will continue to progress at a stable pace this year and will expand in terms of depth and breadth. Indoor coverage within commercial buildings is expanding rapidly and outdoor coverage is being extended from cities and towns to administrative villages, scenic attractions, and along roadways. 4G network blindspots are being reduced and nearly 50% of base stations now support 4G access. Carrier aggregation and commercial VoLTE are expanding more quickly and the 4G network Internet user experience is improving in high-traffic areas.
The CAICT reports also estimates that Chinese cellular M2M terminal users will continue to sustain a 50% or better growth rate in 2016 and will reach more than 100 mln users.
Editor's Note: According to MIIT statistics, as of the end of March, China had over 533 mln 4G subscribers.
Keywords: forecast users wireless 4G MIIT 3G M2M VoLTE CAICT base station mobile subscribers national statistics network construction