As China's 5G ecosystem is expanding step by step and increasingly vibrantly integrated into applications, we have gained a few edges, MIIT Leading Party Group Member, Chief Engineer and Press Secretary Tian Yulong said at the press conference on industrial and information development in the first half of year earlier today (July 16) held by the State Council Information Office.
First, we keep leading in 5G network construction. We have built the world's largest 5G standalone network incorporating 961,000 5G base stations, over 400,000 of which are under joint construction and shared benefits, and 365 million 5G-connected devices. Meanwhile, we have accelerated the deployment of a "dual Gigabit" network covering 13.62 million Gigaband subscribers.
Second, we keep gaining momentum in the 5G industry. We are consistently leading in the world regarding the percentage of standard essential patents for 5G standardization declared by our enterprises, among which, Huawei and ZTE devices represent over 50% on market. In the first half of the year, our 5G phone shipments rose 73.4% to 128 million.
Third, it has been noticeable that 5G applications are empowering all sectors of society through integration. Since 5G began being commercialized two years ago, it has been merged into various sectors and fields, e.g., industry, energy or healthcare, and played a crucial part therein, blazing a new trail and giving a new impetus to digital transformation in economy and society and development of the digital economy.