Shanghai home to over 68,000 5G base stations

SHANGHAI -- China's financial hub Shanghai has built over 68,000 5G base stations so far, with all its 16 administrative regions covered by the 5G network, local authorities said on Wednesday.

By the end of October, the Shanghai branches of China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom -- China's three major telecom operators -- had approximately 12 million 5G mobile phone users, accounting for 27 percent of the Shanghai total mobile phone users, and up 51.4 percent year-on-year, according to the Shanghai Communications Administration.

As of the end of September, Shanghai had taken the lead nationwide this year in terms of the major indicators of its 5G network capacity, according to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

During this period, the ratio of 5G base stations to 4G ones in Shanghai reached 65.6:100, ranking first in China. Meanwhile, Shanghai recorded 26.6 5G base stations per 10,000 residents, ranking second nationwide, according to the ministry.

Notably, the city's airports, train stations and subway routes have achieved full coverage of 5G signals, while over 95 percent of its third-grade hospitals enjoy 5G coverage.

Third-grade hospitals rank at the top of China's three-tier hospital grading system. They have the most hospital beds and provide comprehensive medical services.