BEIJING—China plans to turn on its first 5G networks on Friday, setting up the country to leapfrog other nations in deploying the superfast cellular technology at the center of a technological arms race between China and the U.S.
China’s three major state-owned wireless carriers, China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, will open the country’s 5G network for public use in about 50 major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, said Chen Zhaoxiong, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Thursday at a Beijing conference. That will allow those with the few available 5G-compatible smartphones to buy a subscription to access the network.