URUMQI -- Steady progress has been made in the building of 5G base stations in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region as the region seeks to speed up development via the superfast wireless technology.

Nearly 3,700 5G base stations have been built as of late July, according to the local telecom watchdog. Xinjiang plans to set up 4,140 5G base stations this year.

Urumqi, the regional capital, reported the fastest 5G network growth, with 5G users topping 234,000 people.

All the main urban areas of Xinjiang's prefecture-level cities are expected to be covered by 5G network by 2021.