Greater China Set to Dominate Global Industrial IoT Market, Says New GSMA Report  

Government Backing 5G, AI and Data Analytics to Transform Industrial Sector;
GSMA Intelligence Forecasts 13.8 billion IIoT Connections Worldwide by 2025,
with China Accounting for One-Third of Global Market

LONDON--()--The GSMA today issued a new report, ‘The Industrial IoT in Greater China, highlighting how the region is poised to lead the global Industrial IoT (IIoT) market. The in-depth report draws on interviews with mobile operators including Asia Pacific Telecom Group, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Far EasTone and Taiwan Mobile who outline how the combination of fast internet speeds, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and the IoT is transforming the region’s industrial sector. GSMA Intelligence estimates that there will be 13.8 billion IIoT connections globally by 2025. Greater China accounts for approximately 4.1 billion of these connections or a third of the global market.

“These new technologies will fundamentally alter the way we live and work, intelligently connecting virtually every device, making our cities smarter and our lives easier and more productive,” commented Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. “China is betting big on the IIoT to increase productivity and drive efficiencies by streamlining and automating manufacturing processes via internet connectivity. Backed by positive government support, China is set to become the world’s leader.”

The IIoT, will increase productivity by combining AI, cloud computing and advanced analytics to automate manufacturing processes via internet connectivity. It will enable factories to monitor and interpret data from production lines and complex machinery in real time to anticipate faults, manage infrastructure and mitigate risk. The captured data will drive efficiencies, optimise productivity and decrease costs in many important economic sectors beyond manufacturing, such as energy and telecoms. China is also making advances in the area of AI which, with machine learning, will help factories and businesses manage complex processes and drive innovation.

China’s Government Backing the IIoT

China’s government is a major driving force behind the country’s adoption of the Industrial IoT. In 2015, the government outlined its ‘Made in China 2025’ strategy, which aims to boost manufacturing innovation, including the IoT, smart appliances and high-end consumer electronics, and transform China from “a manufacturing big house” to “a manufacturing super house” in the next 10 years. The government also unveiled its ‘Internet Plus Action Plan’ in 2015 to integrate the internet with traditional industries and create a new engine for economic growth, bringing together the mobile internet, cloud computing, big data and the IoT with modern manufacturing.

The Role of China’s Operators

China’s mobile operators will play a fundamental role in these developments by providing secure, reliable and intelligent connectivity to businesses and enterprises across the country. China’s operators will be integral to the development of the IIoT and an invaluable and strategic partner for cities, governments and other organisations. The GSMA’s Internet of Things Programme is working closely with all operators, as well as other vendors in the ecosystem, to support and help accelerate the delivery of compelling and secure IoT solutions including Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) networks, such as LTE-M and NB-IoT, which are helping to usher in innovative new services across the country. LTE-M and NB-IoT will play a key role in the development of 5G networks and in particular, ‘massive IoT’, which will enable smart cities, industrial automation and other applications involving large numbers of connected devices.

IoT Programme at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018

The GSMA’s IoT Programme will host its 7th GSMA Mobile IoT Summit at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018. The summit will explore the latest developments in LPWA networks in licensed spectrum as they are being rolled out around the world and cover topics including data analytics, the impact of 5G and security amongst others. The summit will be held in Auditorium A, Hall N5 in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). For further information, please go to: www.gsma.com/iot/event/iot-summit-at-mobile-world-congress-shanghai-2018/. The Programme will also demonstrate a number of cutting-edge IoT products and services at the GSMA Innovation City in Hall N5. Please go to: www.gsma.com/iot/iot-mwcs18-innovation-city/.

Connected China at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018

The GSMA’s IoT Programme will also host ‘Connected China’ at this year’s Mobile World Congress Shanghai, bringing together some of China’s most innovative start-ups and developers to showcase their products and solutions using Mobile IoT technologies across LTE-M and NB-IoT. There will be a number of interactive demonstrations across six key vertical applications: industrial IoT, logistics, smart agriculture, fire safety, smart city and smart home. Connected China will be held 27-29 June in NEXTech Hall W5 at the SNIEC. For further information, please go to: www.gsma.com/iot/connected-china-at-mwc-shanghai-2018/.

To download the report, please go to: www.gsma.com/iot/greater-china-industrial-iot-report/. For further information on the GSMA’s IoT programme, please go to: www.gsma.com/iot/

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

Contacts

Media Contacts:
For the GSMA
Ava Lau
+852 2533 9928
alau@webershandwick.com
or
Beau Bass
+44 79 7662 4962
beau.bass@webershandwick.com
or
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com

Contacts

Media Contacts:
For the GSMA
Ava Lau
+852 2533 9928
alau@webershandwick.com
or
Beau Bass
+44 79 7662 4962
beau.bass@webershandwick.com
or
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com