Smartphones capable of delivering 5G speeds will be available in the second half of this year, said Zhang Yunyong, president of the China Unicom Research Institute and member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Zhang further said the 5G smartphones are projected to hit mass adoption in early 2020.

"We will soon embrace the year of 5G," Zhang said on Sunday, during an interview from the sidelines of the two sessions.

"5G technology is changing our society and transforming industries. It meets people's demand for a better future and helps China head to a high-quality development future."

Zhang said that 5G smartphones offer download speeds considerably faster than 4G devices, giving the example of a 5G network's ability to download a 1GB movie in three seconds.

According to Zhang, 5G network pilot projects have been launched in 25 provinces, autonomous regions and cities nationwide.

At least 10 times faster than 4G, the new technology is expected to revolutionize tech.

In the 5G era, increased reliability and lower latency are to be expected, opening up new possibilities in IoT and autonomous driving.