We tested a 5G handset in Wuzhen and the speed lived up to the hype – now it’s a wait for wider coverage

  • China is expected to be a front-runner in the roll-out of commercial 5G services with an estimated 600 million 5G subscribers by 2025

Tracy Quin ShanghaiandJane Zhangin Hong Kong
People walk before a screen in the Wuzhen International Internet Exhibition and Convention Center in the river town of Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 19, 2019. Photo: Xinhua

A bright new 5G era is dawning – so says a vast array of experts, telecoms carriers and handset developers. But is reality living up to the early hype?

Chinese smartphone makers Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo have all rolled out 5G phones in recent months and 5G pre-registrations are close to 10 million in China as the country aims to be a leader in the new network technology.

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