GUANGZHOU - South China's economic powerhouse Guangdong province has added nearly 200 5G base stations during the coronavirus outbreak to provide a faster network in the anti-virus fight.

The Guangdong Communications Administration said Monday that the 5G wireless network would facilitate remote consultations, AI health checkups and thermal imaging systems during the outbreak.

During the outbreak, the average construction time of 5G base stations was reduced from one month to a week, and 198 such facilities were built between Jan 26 and Feb 22, said Su Shaolin, chief of the administration.

Su said 5G infrastructures would speed up construction in the province, which plans to build 50,000 5G base stations this year, bringing the total in the province to more than 100,000.