China has announced that it will bring increased internet capacity to all major cities by 2020.

China has set targets of 50 Mbps by 2020 for new broadband services and 12 Mbps in rural areas. The undertaking is huge given China’s population, with nearly 600 million already using internet services, with speeds just averaging 1.7 Mbps.

The plans for increased internet speeds will also see the rollout of 3G and 4G mobile services, with an estimated target of 85 per cent of a 1.35 billion population.

The move to develop broadband and mobile communications comes as China sits behind its neighbours in delivering increased speeds despite a large user base.

China sees sluggish manufacturing trend

Alibaba Group set to build $48 billion logistics network in China