MIIT awards first 5G private licence to COMAC

China’s telecom sector regulator the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has awarded the nation’s first private 5G network licence to Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), China Daily writes. The award enables the state-owned aircraft manufacturer to use spectrum in the 5925MHz-6125MHz and 24.75GHz-25.15GHz ranges to operate its own private 5G networks. The decision is part of a move to promote the take up of 5G technology for industrial applications. Such industrial internet services have been a key focus of the 5G development programmes of the nation’s telcos. China Mobile, for example, claimed in June this year that it had developed more than 300 5G showcases (industry-specific solutions) and had signed over 11,000 agreements for industrial 5G projects, including smart hospitals, smart factories and smart mines. China Telecom, meanwhile, reported that it was working on around 9,000 5G industry projects at the same date.