China officially launched 5G R&D technology testing at the beginning of 2016, and this lays a foundation for the launch of 5G commercial use in 2020.

Zhang Feng, chief engineer of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, revealed the timetable during a press conference. Zhang said that China launched 5G research and development synchronously with the international market and they established a cooperation mechanism with many foreign organizations. Many Chinese enterprises, universities and research institutes jointly established a group to promote 5G development, covering research on 5G demands, technologies, spectrums, and standards. At the same time, China invited Chinese and foreign enterprises to participate in the forming of a global unified 5G standard and promote 5G technology research and industrial development.

Zhang said many Chinese enterprises and universities invested huge resources in 5G research and development. China also published white paper on 5G demands and concepts, and the related suggestions have been accepted by the International Telecommunication Union.

Zhang pointed out that MIIT will actively support Chinese and foreign enterprises to implement 5G research and development cooperation to jointly contribute for the development of the next-generation mobile communications technology.

Based on the general deployment of MIIT, China's 5G basic R&D and testing will be implemented between 2016 and 2018. It will be divided into three stages, including 5G key technology testing, 5G technical verification, and 5G system verification.