BEIJING - China has built a total of 198,000 5G base stations by the end of March, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The number of package users has surpassed 50 million, the data showed.

While the 5G network construction was picking up pace, development of related terminals was also booming, said Wen Ku, an MIIT official.

As of April 20, 95 terminals had been licensed to access the network and 5G mobile phones priced below 2,000 yuan ($283) had hit the market, according to Wen.

The MIIT said it will support phone makers to strengthen research and development and provide products with high price-performance ratio and rich categories for consumers.