China’s operators continue to roll out 5G base stations at a furious pace, and are expected to reach a base of 720,000 by the end of this year. However, the breakneck speed of roll-out is taking its toll on the companies’ cost base and profitability. China Mobile issued a warning to investors last week, that its costs would rise at “relatively high rates”. The company deployed 340,000 5G base stations last year but said it was now looking to cut costs in other areas so it could continue with its expansion in 5G. It is not just concerned by capex and deployment costs, but by some aspects of running its new network, particularly powering so many sites, some with complex…