China signals intent to lead the world on 5G

China gave the latest signals this week that it intends to be at the forefront of the next generation of mobile communications, reversing years of a previous policy that saw it typically lag behind, as it tries to wield greater influence in the development of new technologies, Caixin reports.  One of the new signals came from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China’s telecoms regulator, which said it has officially launched the third stage of trials for fifth-generation (5G) networks expected to replace current 4G technology in global markets starting in 2019. The ministry said the new trials aim to speed China’s move to the commercialization of the technology that will facilitate data transfer rates of up to 100 megabits per second in major metropolitan areas. That will boost efficiency for functions like video streaming and pave the way for a new generation of functions with big data requirements.