Ryan Ding, president of Huawei’s Carrier Business Group, claimed the company built more than half of the 140 commercial 5G networks deployed in 59 countries so far, despite bans on its networking gear in many countries.

Speaking at a pre-briefing for MWC Shanghai 2021, Ding said “5G developed faster than we had expected and the ecosystem is also maturing”, adding the technology “is no longer for early adopters; it is improving our daily lives”.

He said more than 68 per cent of smartphones shipped in China during 2020 were 5G-compatible.

Ding is bullish about the outlook for industrial applications this year, noting adoption of 5G had made “production safer, more intelligent and more efficient” in domestic coal mining, steel making and manufacturing sectors.

Large-scale adoption of 5G by various industries in 2021 will require operators to develop new capabilities in network planning, deployment, maintenance, optimisation and operations.

During the briefing Ritchie Peng, president of Huawei’s 5G Product Line, said 5G users globally reached 200 million, while 800,000 5G sites have been rolled out worldwide.

He said 5G handsets are already available for as low as $350.