China expects 5G user penetration rate to top 85 pct by end of 2027

China aims to achieve a 5G user penetration rate of more than 85 percent by the end of 2027, as the world's second-largest economy accelerates the large-scale applications of 5G technologies.

By that point, there will be 38 5G base stations for every 10,000 people, 5G will account for 75 percent of mobile internet traffic, and the number of Internet of Things terminals connected by 5G in the country will exceed 100 million, according to an action plan formulated by multiple government departments.

Meanwhile, the penetration rate of 5G technologies in large and medium-sized industrial firms will reach 45 percent by the end of 2027, according to the plan publicized Monday.

The plan is designed to vigorously promote the large-scale development of 5G applications, accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, facilitate the popularization and application of new-generation information technology, and strengthen the new driving forces for high-quality economic and social development.

It strives to promote the integration and innovation of digital technologies and support the nation's new industrialization and modernization of the information and communication industry.

As of the end of September this year, the number of 5G base stations in China reached about 4.09 million. Meanwhile, the number of 5G mobile subscribers hit 981 million, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. With a population of around 1.4 billion, the nation's 5G user penetration rate has reached around 70 percent.