Why does the country engage in the special action of ＂signal upgrading＂？

Recently, eleven departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Health and Wellness Commission, National Cultural Heritage Administration and China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. jointly issued the Notice on Launching the Special Action of "Signal Upgrading" (hereinafter referred to as the "Special Action"). Eleven departments jointly issued a document, which is a rare national action in recent years. Why should we make up our minds to promote "signal upgrading"? What is the reason behind the introduction of the policy? What is the significance of the data indicators of Special Action? What changes will "signal upgrading" bring to our work and life? These problems deserve careful study.

Current situation of network signals in China

At present, there are more than 6 million 4G base stations and 3.282 million 5G base stations in China, accounting for more than 60% of all 4G and 5G base stations in the world. In terms of the number of base stations, the number of base stations per capita in China is three times that in the United States, and the total number is 15 times. Behind the base station is optical fiber. The fttp rate in China is 93%, and it is generally around 20% in Europe and America. Looking around the world, China’s signal coverage rate is far ahead.

In terms of base station construction planning, China has particularly emphasized the coverage of roads, railways and subways. It can be said that in China, "there is a signal where there are people", but there is no signal outside the city in other countries. The contrast is very obvious.

However, there are always some people who think that 5G is of little use, because the speed of 5G network is not obvious, and the experience of using it is similar to that of 4G. This is a typical "survivor bias". At the beginning of 5G construction, the per capita monthly traffic reached 8G, but now it has risen to more than 24 G. It is because more than 3 million 5G base stations have taken over heavy network users, enabling 4G users to smoothly brush videos with three times the traffic. It can be said that the network of 4G users is smooth, and the 5G base station has played an important role.

The primary feature of 5G is the Internet of Everything, which mainly serves the Internet of Things. In China’s ports, mines, steel, modern agriculture and other industrial fields, there have been tens of thousands of 5G applications, which have greatly improved social productivity. Nowadays, 5G has become an important starting point of national competitiveness, and it is the power engine that leads the development of science and technology in the world. The "5G uselessness theory" is an idiotic dream that is divorced from practice and has no development concept.

Comparison of network speed between China and foreign countries

According to the National Mobile Network Quality Monitoring Report, by the end of June 2023, the average access rates of China’s 5G networks were 351.14Mbps and 80.05Mbps respectively, while those of 4G networks were 51.69Mbps and 28.41Mbps respectively. This rate is excellent, but it is not ahead in the world.

According to the data of network speed testing company Ookla in the same period, the average rate of 5G in South Korea is 501.56Mbps, and the average rate of 5G in Middle East countries has reached more than 400Mbps. Some netizens suggested that half of South Korea’s population lives in Seoul, and the difficulty of signal coverage can’t be compared with that of China, which has a vast territory. Middle East countries are rich in financial resources, and their investment will certainly be much greater than that of developing countries.

That’s true, but we also have to admit that although China’s signal coverage rate is far ahead, the quality of network services varies greatly from place to place because of China’s vast territory, complex terrain and uneven economic development. Especially in some key areas, signal coverage and service quality need to be improved.

Problems existing in the existing network

I believe many people have had the same feeling and experience: Gigabit optical fiber is connected at home, but the download rate is only about 100Mbps. After making a phone call to complain, the operator staff came to their homes to measure the speed, but the network speed measured at the optical fiber access port was indeed 1000Mbps.

The operator’s staff explained that the signal transmitted to the customer’s home is 1000Mbps, and there will be a loss in the conversion of the optical cat router. There will be another loss in the Wi-Fi reaching the equipment through the wall, and there will be another loss in the equipment accessing the website. It is normal to finally become 100Mbps. You are not convinced in your heart, but you can’t refute it.

The same is true for mobile networks. It may be good to measure the speed near the base station, but the actual use effect is greatly reduced due to the complex geographical and topographical conditions. The main problem in cities is that reinforced concrete walls block signals, and the internal space of buildings, elevators, underground garages and so on are often areas with weak signals. If a 100% online network can provide 100% value, then a 99% online network may only provide 50% value. The more netizens rely on the network, the more obvious the impact of 1% disconnection may be.

The problems in rural mountainous areas are low base station density and insufficient signal strength, and the signal in residential areas is ok, but not necessarily in the fields. At present, the income from live broadcast of agricultural products has become the economic pillar of many villagers. The 5G signal is productivity, and the high-speed and stable network is the "lifeblood".

Unscramble the technical index of "signal upgrading"

Different from the previous special activities, this "signal upgrading" special action has defined specific scenarios and what indicators should be achieved by various scenarios, with clear specific figures and strong realizability and verifiability.

The deep coverage of key sites is the focus of work. The "Special Action" clarifies the uplink and downlink access rate indicators by the end of 2024 and the end of 2025, which is the goal of "tiptoeing and reaching" on the basis of existing 5G and 4G base stations.

The continuous network coverage and stable network speed of highways, railways and subways have always been a difficult problem. The movement will cause the signal to have Doppler frequency offset, which is only a traditional technical problem. What is more difficult to deal with is the handover and beam pointing.

The distance between the base stations on both sides of the railway is less than 500 meters, and the high-speed train passes at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour. Passengers’ mobile phones have to re-register with the next base station every five seconds, so frequent handover makes it easy for passengers to drop the line. The beam direction of the traditional base station is fixed, which serves an area diagonally below the base station, while the train passes at high speed, so the fixed beam can only provide a short service time.

Compared with the signal enhancement in key areas, it is more difficult to upgrade the signals of highways, railways and subways. China’s communication equipment innovation ability is world-class, and it has developed a new type of 5G antenna, which is "power follows the vehicle" and specially serves high-speed vehicles.

For a long time, operators used to flaunt their speed capability with "network speed measurement", and the speed felt by users is not only related to network speed measurement, but also strongly related to the business nature and signal coverage. It is likely that the network speed measurement data is high, but the actual service capability is not strong.

The "Special Action" puts forward that "the rate of reaching the standard of mobile networks should not be less than 90%", which is the requirement of the guaranteed target by the end of 2024. "By the end of 2025, the mobile network compliance rate will be no less than 95%", which is a further requirement. When the country accepts the project, it should not only inspect the network speed measurement, but also inspect the service ability with the worst signal, and the upper and lower limits are guaranteed. This is the high-speed, stable and universal service network.

Vision of "Signal Upgrading" Special Action

It’s not an exaggeration to observe China’s telecom policy continuously, calling it farsighted. Planning ahead, moderately advancing, making overall arrangements and vigorously pushing forward, China’s telecom industry has made rapid progress and triumphed frequently in the past 30 years, which is inseparable from a series of correct decisions.

Since 2013, broadband China strategy and network power strategy have been implemented, and broadband network has been positioned as a strategic public infrastructure in the new era, just like water, electricity and roads. In 2019, the "double gigabit" of fixed and mobile networks was proposed, and the proportion of optical fiber users increased from 34% at the beginning to 93%. From 2019 to now, the coverage of 5G signals has been achieved from big cities to major administrative villages, and it has achieved three 50%: the amount of data provided by 5G base stations has exceeded 50%, the number of 5G users has exceeded 50%, and there are 1.2 billion 5G users in the world, of which Chinese accounts for more than 50%.

"Signal upgrading" benefits the country and the people. The domestic 5G base station construction has achieved basic coverage. The significance of "signal upgrading" is to supplement the network and improve the quality, and realize the same network with the same speed and service, which has become the core foundation to support the national economy and people’s livelihood.

We are used to the work and life based on the network, and the network has become a necessity like tap water and electricity. The vision of the "signal upgrade" special action is to make high-speed signals, like tap water and electricity, go everywhere and always be online.