Robots equipped with 5G and machine vision technologies at Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment's Nanjing Binjiang 5G Smart Manufacturing Base can locate screw holes, reducing the defect rate by 50 percent.
Baoding Great Wall Precision has leveraged advanced 5G-A technology to reduce network downtime, enabling more flexible production line arrangements during new vehicle model launches. This has shortened the annual construction cycle by 10 to 15 days and boosted profits by approximately 200 million yuan ($28.6 million).
Micronet Union, China's first 5G-A smart factory in the 3C industry, has achieved wireless transformation through 5G-A, enabling flexible production for small-batch orders with completion in as fast as 72 hours from issuance to delivery.
People look at a 5G+ Hydrogen-powered unmanned tractor during the 13th Central China Investment and Trade Exposition (Expo Central China 2024) in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 31, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)
China has over 15,000 5G + Industrial Internet projects, covering all 41 major industrial categories and 700 high-level 5G factories have been established. The application of 5G + Industrial Internet is gradually extending from peripheral auxiliary functions to core production control, deeply integrating into industrial research and development, production and manufacturing, operation and management and innovation in business models. This accelerates the empowerment of industry enterprises to improve quality, reduce costs and enhance efficiency.
With broader application and deeper integration, how has 5G + Industrial Internet achieved accelerated growth in China?
Back in 2019, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the 5G + Industrial Internet 512 Project Promotion Plan. At that time, the integration and innovation of 5G and industrial internet were still in their infancy. Five years later, China's 5G + Industrial Internet has entered a new phase of large-scale development.
Demand-driven. In digital transformation, whether it's remote equipment control, intelligent quality inspection or quickly adjusting production lines according to order requirements, all of these needs can be met through 5G + Industrial Internet.
People visit the exhibition booth of China Telecom during the 2024 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)
"For enterprises with high demands for personalized customization and quick market changes, the wireless 5G network has great advantages because it doesn't require re-wiring the network when reorganizing production lines," said Yu Xiaohui, president of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. "This is a rigid demand."
Foundational support. Information infrastructure is a prerequisite for advancing digital, networked and intelligent manufacturing processes.
China has increased its efforts to build 5G networks, with the coverage steadily expanding. By the end of November 2024, 4.191 million 5G base stations had been constructed, an increase of 815,000 compared to the previous year. Industry-specific 5G virtual private networks, tailored to the actual needs of various sectors, are also being rapidly deployed. More than 40,000 5G virtual networks have been constructed to provide stable, reliable and secure network facilities for industry applications.
Policy-driven. National policies, such as the Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Integration of New-Generation Information Technology and Manufacturing Industry and the Action Plan for Digital Transformation of Manufacturing Industry have been issued to promote digital transformation in manufacturing. At the local level, more than 20 provinces have rolled out policy documents to support the sector's digital shift, providing essential policy backing for the development of 5G + Industrial Internet.
With higher efficiency, lower costs and better quality, the integration and application of 5G + Industrial Internet are continuously demonstrating huge potential.
Workers welding carriage frames on the assembly line at a car manufacturing company in Ganzhou New Energy Automobile City, Jiangxi Province, China, April 9, 2024. (Photo: CFP)
Not long ago, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Implementation Plan for Upgraded Version of 5G + Industrial Internet 512 Project, outlining a new blueprint for the development of 5G + Industrial Internet:
By 2027, 5G + Industrial Internet will be widely integrated into key industries of the real economy, with comprehensive improvements across five areas: network facilities, technology products, integrated applications, industrial ecosystems and public services.
The plan aims to construct 10,000 5G factories and establish at least 20 pilot cities for the integrated applications of 5G + Industrial Internet.
It is believed that with the joint efforts of all parties, the integration of 5G and industry will accelerate, strongly supporting the creation of a manufacturing powerhouse and a network powerhouse.
(Compiled by Zhang Yixuan and Fu Pengwei)