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Operator reportedly aims to deploy 10,000 5G base stations in 2020.
China Mobile plans to begin testing 5G technology next year with a view to rolling out as many as 10,000 5G base stations by 2020.
This is according to local news outlet C114, which said on Wednesday that 2017 will see the world’s biggest mobile operator by subscribers deploy up to seven base stations in four-five cities for the purposes of verifying potential next-generation mobile network tech.
Citing officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the report said 2016-2018 will see China Mobile focus the bulk of its 5G R&D effort on testing technology, while 2018-2020 will see the focus shift testing 5G products and services.
In 2018, China Mobile intends to scale up its trials, building up to 20 cell sites in several cities, which will help it to test end-to-end services.
The company will continue to expand its trials the following year, ramping up to 10,000 cell sites in 2020, to achieve scale in preparation for commercial 5G services.
According to the C114 report, China Mobile will focus initially on sub-6-GHz spectrum, with a view to begin testing higher frequency bands after 18 months.
