MIIT to invest 140 billion yuan to bring broadband and wireless internet to rural areas

Today (the 23rd), a report from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) mentioned that it will speed up 4G network construction, strive to ensure that by the end of 2017 households in urban areas nationwide have access to 100Mbps fiber-optic connections, and by 2020 bring broadband and wireless internet to 50,000 administrative villages.

Previously, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress reviewed the State Council's report on informatization development and the promotion of deep integration between informatization and industrialization, and MIIT issued a report on implementing the review opinions.

The report mentioned that broadband networks are a national strategic public infrastructure, an important support for promoting “Internet Plus” development, and a key driving force for promoting mass entrepreneurship and innovation. At present, the total number of broadband users in China with access rates of 8 megabits per second (Mbps) and above exceeds 128 million, and fiber-optic access users have surpassed 100 million.

MIIT pointed out in the report that the next step is to accelerate the construction of all-fiber-optic network cities and fourth-generation mobile communication (4G) networks, and strive to ensure that by the end of 2017, households in all urban districts of cities with districts and most urban districts of cities without districts nationwide have access to 100Mbps fiber-optic connections, and that the average access rate for broadband users in major cities such as municipalities directly under the central government and provincial capitals exceeds 30Mbps.

For rural areas, MIIT said in the report that by 2020 it strives to bring broadband to about 50,000 administrative villages that currently lack broadband access, upgrade broadband for more than 30 million rural households, achieve broadband coverage in 98% of administrative villages, and gradually achieve wireless broadband coverage, with total investment expected to exceed 140 billion yuan.