China moves to upgrade internet services

BEIJING - China will improve internet services and cut fees this year, according to guidelines issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

In 2019, the MIIT will strive to make 98 percent of the country's villages gain access to 4G network services and 98 percent of poor villages connected by broadband network.

For small and medium-sized enterprises, the average broadband service cost will be cut by 15 percent this year, while the average mobile internet service charge will see a decrease of at least 20 percent, according to the guidelines.

The MIIT also vowed to expedite the commercial use of 5G technology and crack down on irregularities such as crank calls and arbitrary charges.