Government figures reportedly showed shipments of 5G-compatible smartphones in China rose to 266 million in 2021, significantly surpassing the global average as falling prices boosted demand in the country.

Xinhua News Agency reported the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) released data showing shipments of 5G devices increased 63.5 per cent over 2020, as users were encouraged to take the plunge by average handset prices falling below CNY1,000 ($157.41).

CAICT added 5G smartphones accounted for 75.9 per cent of domestic shipments, notably higher than a global average of 41 per cent.

The authority’s data indicated the total number of smartphone subscribers for China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom reached 1.6 billion, of which 497 million were connected to 5G networks, up by 298 million compared with 2020.

CAICT’s figures are broadly in line with numbers released in January 2021, with interest in 5G models beginning to surge at the time. Of the 295.7 million units shipped in 2020, 55 per cent were 5G models.