BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- From upgraded 5G base stations in Beijing to newly launched communications satellites and expanding communications coverage in underground mines and urban utility tunnels, China is speeding up the construction of a next-generation communications network as it seeks to lay the digital foundation for future economic growth and technological innovation.
A recent high-level meeting of the Chinese leadership called for strengthening the planning and development of six major infrastructure networks, with the next-generation communications network identified as one of the priorities.
Experts said this push reflects the country's broader efforts to adapt its information infrastructure to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), industrial digitalization and emerging technologies.
As the digital economy becomes increasingly integrated with the real economy, demand for more advanced information infrastructure continues to grow. From AI foundation models and intelligent agents to smart factories, connected vehicles and digital twin cities, new technologies and business models are reshaping industries and creating new requirements for faster, more reliable and more intelligent communications.
This network serves as critical infrastructure for fostering new quality productive forces and supporting AI development, said Deng Daozheng, an analyst at consulting firm CIO Manage.
So what will China's next-generation communications network look like?
Guided by a moderately forward-looking approach, China will upgrade its fixed fiber and mobile networks to 10-gigabit standards, actively deploy satellite internet and low-altitude information infrastructure, and develop an integrated communications network that links space, air, ground and sea, noted Zhong Zhihong, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
According to the ministry, the network will extend beyond connecting people to also encompass machines, smart devices and embodied AI systems. It is expected to deliver more reliable connectivity while integrating communications with sensing, computing and intelligent capabilities to better support increasingly diverse industrial applications.
This emerging network is already bringing tangible benefits across a wide range of industries.
At an automobile manufacturing plant in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, autonomous guided vehicles shuttle across the factory floor while AI-powered visual inspection systems monitor production in real time. Supported by a dedicated high-speed, low-latency 5G network, the factory has increased overall equipment efficiency by 10 percent, shortened production line changeover time by 40 percent and reduced annual operating costs by more than 10 million yuan (roughly 1.47 million U.S. dollars).
In north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, miners remotely operate excavation equipment via 5G networks, while in Yiwu, a major trading hub in east China's Zhejiang Province, AI-powered real-time translation has reduced the time needed to conclude some cross-border business deals from half a month to as little as 30 minutes.
The MIIT recently launched a pilot program for dedicated industrial 5G networks to power more industries through digital technologies. The country has so far built more than 80,000 virtual private 5G networks for industry and established 1,260 5G factories.
Looking ahead, industry forecasts suggest that the development of the next-generation communications network could generate about 7 trillion yuan in economic output across upstream and downstream industries over the next five years, creating new investment opportunities, supporting domestic demand and expanding employment.
As AI models become more powerful, factories more connected and satellite communications increasingly integrated into everyday life, demand for faster and smarter networks is expected to continue rising.
"The next-generation communications network is evolving from a basic channel for information transmission into a core production factor driving industrial upgrading, business innovation and productivity gains," said Zhang Haiyi, a researcher at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. ■
