China to build 10,000 5G factories by 2027: MIIT

(ECNS) -- China plans to build 10,000 5G factories and initiate 5G+ industrial internet pilot program in at least 20 cities by 2027, according to a plan released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Monday.

To date, there have been more than 17,000 “5G+industrial internet” projects nationwide and the prices of industrial 5G modules have dropped to 200 yuan (about $27.42), down 90 percent from the early stage of commercialization, the MIIT noted.

In addition, “5G+industrial internet” has been widely used in 20 typical scenarios such as remote equipment control, machine vision quality inspection, and unmanned intelligent inspection. These advancements span 10 key industries such as electronic equipment manufacturing, iron, steel, and mining, leading to the establishment of 700 high-level 5G factories.

However, “5G+industrial internet” still faces challenges such as insufficient industrial supply and high cost of integrated application, the MIIT said.

Meanwhile, “5G+industrial internet” is being empowered by the development of 5G-A (5G-Advanced), AI, and private industrial 5G networks, it added.