China Grants 5G Licences for Commercial Use

China on Thursday granted 5G commercial licences to four domestic companies, taking a big step in its bid to be a global leader in next generation wireless networks amid fierce rivalry from the United States.

5G is the next-generation cellular network that offers faster data transfer speed and could enhance technologies such as autonomous driving, remote medical diagnosis and mobile payments.

The Industry and Information Technology Ministry said state-owned telecom providers China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Broadcasting Network Corporation received business licences to operate fifth generation digital cellular mobile communication services.