Beijing to try out 5G in key areas by 2020

Beijing expects to implement the pre-commercial service of the 5th generation mobile networks, or 5G, in key locations by 2020, according to a development plan on big data and cloud computing released by the municipal government.

The locations include the city's subsidiary administrative center, the Horti Expo Park of 2019, the new airport, and stadiums of 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The trial run is likely to happen in 2018 to 2019, and full implementation will "definitely" be ready by the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

"Right now we are already reserving the facilities, for installing base stations in the future," said Mao Dongjun, deputy director-general of Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology.

"Unlike previous 4G technologies, a 5G base station can hold much bandwidth, but the radius is relatively small, thus there has to be 5 to 10 times the density of base stations."

Mao added that the more facilities would serve as the base stations, such as "smart" road lamps.

Though no international standard of 5G technology have been set yet, previous reports show that major telecommunication companies including Samsung and Huawei have been developing the 5G technology for the past decade. The technology will allow users to have much faster connections than the current 4G services, and is expected to play a core role in connecting all smart devices.