BEIJING, May 25 -- China has recently released a guideline to accelerate the construction of "dual-gigabit" internet, which refers to a 5G network and a gigabit optical network.

While strengthening the maintenance of rural telecommunications facilities, the country will shore up inter-sectoral cooperation and the use of digital technologies to boost the availability of such networks, according to the guideline issued by 14 state organs, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The country will also promote the cross-network service for 5G roaming, expand the coverage of gigabit optical network, and boost the construction and public sharing of rural telecommunications infrastructure, the guideline said.

China is making steady progress in internet construction. The latest data from the ministry showed that by the end of April, the total number of 5G base stations in the country had reached 2.73 million, accounting for 24.5 percent of its tally of mobile base stations.

By the end of last year, the country's gigabit optical networks had been capable of covering more than 500 million households, according to the ministry.