BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The long-term positive effects of the epidemic outbreak on China's software and hardware businesses will outweigh any short-term negative impact, according to a report published Wednesday by S&P Global (China) Ratings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of S&P Global Inc. registered in Beijing.

File photo: CGTN

To curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the adoption of big data, drone technology and remote office services by governments at all levels in the country may stimulate further demand for software and hardware products, the report said.

By providing free remote office and online teaching services, some Internet firms have effectively promoted their services during the period, which is expected to help develop future business.

Although consumers' purchasing behavior was affected over a short period, there will likely be a pick-up in sales of mobile phones and other hardware products in the second half of 2020 as 5G applications gradually mature, which is expected to lead to a slight improvement on 2019 in terms of annual demand, the report said.

It believed that the annual operations of hardware manufacturers would remain stable if the epidemic can be effectively controlled by March.