Gigabit broadband to continue to grow in 2020

Beijing will accelerate the construction of new infrastructure related to a digital economy and is expected to become an international leader in the field by 2022, officials said on June 11.

According to Jiang Guangzhi, deputy director of the Beijing Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the construction will focus on a new network, data intelligence and ecosystem, scientific and technological innovation, smart applications and credible security sectors.

Beijing aims to create 50,000 new users of gigabit broadband in 2020. In three years, it plans to build 300 kilometers of internet-connected roads and autonomous driving demonstration zones of more than 300 square km, according to the city's new infrastructure construction action plan.

Jiang said that the plan focuses on resident services and industrial development needs, to expand tech application scenarios of building a smart city and promote the integrated development of new infrastructure construction and tech applications.

One of the key areas of new infrastructure construction is 5G. According to Wang Hui, deputy director of the Beijing Communication Administration, the city has 21,086 5G base stations as of June 11.

The number is projected to reach 34,000 by the end of 2020. By then the network of 5G base stations will cover the whole area inside Beijing's Fifth Ring Road and the city's subcenter of Tongzhou district, as well as typical application scenarios and key areas outside the Fifth Ring.

Since 5G technology began commercial use in China in 2019, the number of its users has reached 3.13 million in the capital. China's three major telecom operators－China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom－have launched more than 1,000 related projects in the sectors of industrial manufacturing, transportation and logistics, cultural and commerce, education and medical care.

The capital also plans to expand its 5G layout in five major application scenarios, which are autonomous driving, healthcare, industrial internet, smart city and ultra-high definition video, at Beijing Daxing International Airport, the Beijing Winter Olympics venues and other key projects.

Wang said Beijing will accelerate the formulation of communication infrastructure design specifications and optimize 5G base station construction plans to promote the use of the 5G network at various scenarios more scientifically, economically and efficiently.

To date, State Grid Beijing Electric Power has introduced nine services to ensure 5G base stations' power supply, which help to reduce 5G base stations' electricity costs by more than 100 million yuan ($14.11 million).

Also, 5G technology is expected to play an important role in online administrative services in the future.

Liu Qiang, deputy director of the Beijing administrative service bureau, said that the capital will promote online administrative services. The move will allow for online consultation, acceptance, query, payment, evaluation and other services.

Liu added Beijing will improve the technological support capacities of integrated platforms, which enable face, speech and text recognition. They also provide support for service scenarios, such as intelligent customer services and self-service items, to make government services more efficient and convenient for residents.

caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn