Zhao Zhiguo, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), released the figure at a mobile communications forum, citing research from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

5G has also indirectly driven 14 trillion yuan in economic output, showing the new technology's great contribution to the country's high-quality development, he added.

Zhao said China has achieved global leadership in 5G network infrastructure, continuous breakthroughs in key core technologies, and remarkable results in the integration of digital and physical applications since the issuance of 5G commercial licenses on June 6, 2019.

By the end of April, China had accumulated nearly 3.75 million 5G base stations, or about 26 base stations per 10,000 people. The country's essential 5G standard patent claims had accounted for over 42 percent of the world's total.

The 5G technology has been widely used in key industries such as mining, electricity and healthcare, and has gradually penetrated from peripheral links to core areas like research and development, design and manufacturing.

In the next step, the MIIT will make continued efforts to help deepen 5G network coverage, accelerate the expansion of 5G applications, and actively promote the modernization of the information and communication industry, Zhao said.