URUMQI -- The first plateau 5G base station in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region started to provide 5G services on Thursday.

Standing at 3,700 meters above sea level, the 5G base station was built in Xeyidula township, Pishan county, Hotan prefecture, at the foot of the Karakorum Mountains, according to the Communications Administration of Xinjiang.

China's four major telecom firms of China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Tower cooperated to build, use and maintain the 5G base station. The signal of the base station covers a 5-km radius.

With an average elevation of 4,600 meters, the border town Xeyidula is a very popular tourist town, receiving about 2,000 tourists every day in summer and autumn.

"Building a 5G base station on the plateau is a major challenge for constructors. But the operation of the base station helps address the imbalanced and inadequate development of telecommunications services, and helps consolidate poverty alleviation achievements in border areas and realize rural vitalization," said Ma Zhuqing, head of the administration.

More than 12,800 5G base stations have been built in Xinjiang this year, bringing the number of 5G base stations across the region to over 19,000, with an investment of nearly 2 billion yuan ($313.5 million), according to the Communications Administration of Xinjiang.