[Photo/VCG]

The Shandong provincial government recently launched a document on the development of the province's 5G industry.

According to the document, the province plans to develop a number of flagship 5G products by the year 2020.

The province also aims to cultivate more than 100 5G enterprises, build one or two industrial clusters worth 10 billion yuan ($1.42 billion), and raise the added value of the new generation of information technology and other related industries to higher than 650 billion yuan within five years.

Shandong will build network infrastructure and establish 5G network development pilot zones to spread 5G coverage throughout urban areas, counties, towns, and villages.

The province will focus on 5G and related industries and pursue rapid development in eight specific industries, including intelligent terminals, application software, information services, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and more.

Official data showed that the province's 16 cities have already built 5G networks, and 7,161 5G base stations have been established. More than 10,000 5G base stations are planned for completion by the end of the year.

Shandong Tower, a local telecommunications tower infrastructure service provider, has developed 8,728 5G facilities for China's three major telecom operators – China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom. It is expected to deliver 12,000 more by the end of the year.

The provincial department of industry and information technology is currently working to establish a special fund to spur innovation and develop the 5G industry. The fund will offer 200 million yuan in funds every year for five consecutive years. The department will also help establish two industrial internet funds worth 1 billion yuan, which will mainly be used to support 5G, "artificial intelligence +", industrial internet, and other projects.