China 5G forecast upgraded as pricing falls and rollout ambitions surge

The first of October has come and gone – the date commercial 5G in China was supposed to have materialised. However, the launch is still expected this month, and expectations remain sky-high: China's three mobile operators have received over 10 million registrations of interest for pre-orders of 5G packages and smartphones. Although the proposed initial offerings are enhanced mobile broadband over a non-standalone 5G network, operators have demonstrated a clear intent to launch a standalone 5G network to support wider industrial applications. This comes alongside a push to drive down the cost of 5G handsets, to spur mass-market adoption. In light of these developments, we have updated our 5G forecasts for China.