BEIJING — China will hit the "fast-forward" button on the development of 5G technology to mitigate economic impacts from the novel coronavirus outbreak, an official said on March 25. 

The country will support telecom operators to expand standalone 5G network coverage and capacity, said Han Xia with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The standalone 5G network, known as the "real" 5G deployment with the 5G core as its center, makes full use of the 5G mobile network covering high throughput, low latency communications, massive IoT and network slicing.

Local governments will be invigorated to pool resources for the construction of 5G base stations, said Han.

China had 130,000 5G base stations at the end of last year and the construction will pick up this year, she said.

Han said the integrated development of 5G plus industrial internet, 5G plus car networking and 5G plus healthcare should be promoted.

New consumption models related to 5G technology such as virtual reality shopping platforms, as well as livestreaming services of performances, sports events and tourist sites should be cultivated, according to the ministry.

Han also urged efforts to make technical innovations and ensure the safe operation of 5G technology.