A 5G base station is seen in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province recently made the list of 29 Chinese cities that have both a gigabit optical network and a 5G network. 

Users from the city now have gigabit access to mobile and fixed networks with ultra-low latency and advanced reliability.

The gigabit connection is typically delivered over fiber optic lines and provides speeds of 1,000 megabits per second, or 1 gigabit per second.

While the gigabit optical network is more suitable for indoor and complex environments, the 5G network offers high flexibility and convenience and is more user-friendly. 

Ningbo is leading China in terms of urban network quality, according to a report jointly released by the the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology in September.

With a score of 107.12 points, Ningbo took first place in the network quality ranking for the nation's 36 major cities including provincial capitals and municipalities with independent planning status.

In addition, the city has also made strides in the application of the gigabit optical network and 5G network in sectors including manufacturing, port operations, public services and government services.