China's total telecom revenue topped 1.7 trillion yuan (233.45 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, with a 10 percent year-on-year growth in the annual telecom service volume, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Xie Cun, director of the Information and Communication Development Department of the MIIT, said that since the beginning of 2024, China has accelerated the development of new information infrastructure, such as the 5G and industrial internet, fostering greater integration of the telecom service with the real economy.
He said that the country's information and communication industry is expected to achieve upgrade in network evolution, integrated application and innovation capability.
"In 2025, efforts will continue to focus on the 'construction, application and research' strategy, aiming to achieve three key upgrades in the development of the information and communication industry. These include network evolution upgrades, improvement of the 'dual-gigabit' network policy, pilot establishment of the 10 gigabit optical network, and orderly optimization of the layout for computing power centers," he said.
In terms of integrated application upgrade, China will launch in 2025 the "Set Sail" Action Plan for 5G Applications and "5G + industrial internet" upgrades, accelerating all-around and full-chain application of new-generation information technologies, according to officials with the MIIT.
In the area of innovation capability upgrades, efforts will focus on increasing investment in the evolution of 5G and 6G technology innovations, and gradually opening the telecom sector wider to foreign investment when conditions are ripe, said the officials.
Operating revenue of China's telecom sector tops 1.7 trillion yuan in 2024
Efforts are underway in Gaza City to salvage what remains of the territory's cultural heritage after nearly two years of war.
At the ruins of the Great Omari Mosque, Gaza's oldest and largest mosque, Palestinian workers have been clearing and sorting stones dating back more than 1,200 years using basic tools.
"The Great Omari Mosque represents the heart and soul of Gaza City, and Palestine as a whole. The value of these stones is not in their size, but in their deep and layered historical significance," said Husni Al-Mazloom, manager of the Great Omari Mosque restoration project.
Only fragments of the mosque's minarets and a few of its external walls remain standing.
"During the war, it was not only people, trees, and buildings that were targeted, but also thousands of years of human history. Most historical sites in Gaza City were struck and destroyed in an attempt to erase the historical identity of Gaza's people," said Palestinian historian Ayman Al-Balbisi.
Progress on the restoration project has been extremely slow, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of construction materials, even after nearly eight weeks of ceasefire.
On a positive note, however, the project provides locals with more income.
"Before working here, we were unemployed. When this opportunity became available for me and 20 other workers, it allowed us to provide for our families and cover basic needs. During the war, there was no work available for us at all," said worker Ali Al-Qaloushi.
Palestinians have accused Israel of deliberately targeting heritage sites. But Israel denied, saying its strikes followed international law and targeted Hamas tools near or beneath these locations.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has verified damage to 145 religious, cultural and historical sites in Gaza since October 2023, raising fears of irreversible loss in a territory whose history spans more than 5,000 years and carries the imprint of numerous civilizations.
Gazans race to preserve cultural heritage after two years of war
