As of the end of March this year, China had built over 819,000 5G base stations, accounting for approximately 70% of the global total, with 32,000 of them used in the industrial internet. Two years after the issuance of 5G licenses, China has delivered impressive results, while the industrial internet, after three years of initial development, has entered a phase of in-depth application and implementation.
Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the first batch of key industries and application scenarios for "5G + Industrial Internet". After two years of exploration and application, 5G + Industrial Internet has made phased progress. The integration and application of the two has been relatively smooth and has initially demonstrated its transformative empowering significance.
How to "add" 5G and the Industrial Internet?
5G is a core technology of "new infrastructure," while the Industrial Internet is the foundation for intelligent manufacturing and a crucial support for industrial intelligence. 5G networks, with their low latency, high reliability, and wide coverage, perfectly meet the urgent development needs of the Industrial Internet. The integration of 5G and the Industrial Internet can organically combine "network + data + algorithm," maximizing the value of both.
Currently, "5G + Industrial Internet" is penetrating from auxiliary links to core production links, and the types of applications are developing from high bandwidth-dominated to multiple types. Typical application scenarios are gradually taking shape, and the effects of improving quality, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs are beginning to show.
Cost reduction: Through 5G + Industrial Internet, remote equipment control, unmanned intelligent inspection, and production site monitoring can be realized, helping enterprises achieve unmanned or less-staffed production.
Quality Improvement: Through 5G and the Industrial Internet, product quality can be improved and yield rate can be guaranteed in scenarios such as on-site assisted assembly, machine vision quality inspection, and equipment fault diagnosis.
Efficiency Enhancement: Scenarios such as collaborative equipment operation, flexible manufacturing, intelligent logistics in the factory area, and unmanned intelligent inspection support enterprises to optimize production processes and improve production efficiency.
What is the sum of 5G and the Industrial Internet?
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, there are currently more than 1,500 "5G Industrial Internet" projects nationwide, covering 22 important sectors of the national economy. These projects have achieved a series of phased and landmark progress, formed a number of mature models and development experiences, and produced a series of application results such as machine vision inspection, precise remote control, on-site assisted assembly, intelligent logistics, and unmanned inspection and security.
However, there is no consensus within the industry on the extent to which "5G + Industrial Internet" should be integrated. On the one hand, 5G serves as a pipeline, accelerating the application of the Industrial Internet in factories and fostering private industrial networks—this is the basic application direction of "5G + Industrial Internet." On the other hand, 5G penetrates into industrial manufacturing scenarios, playing an irreplaceable role in areas such as unmanned operation, collaborative work, flexible manufacturing, and unmanned factories. Therefore, "5G + Industrial Internet" has boundaries and is not all-encompassing.
What are the market prospects for 5G + Industrial Internet?
In recent years, with continuous favorable national policies and the issuance of 5G licenses in the past two years, application cases of 5G industrial internet have emerged one after another, with more than 1,500 projects nationwide, covering 22 important sectors of the national economy. 5G + industrial internet has become the 5G application field with the highest industry enthusiasm and the most active innovation, and it is also one of the industrial internet innovation and development directions with in-depth exploration and significant results.
The next three years will be a period of rapid growth for the Industrial Internet. To this end, in early 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the "Industrial Internet Innovation and Development Action Plan (2021-2023)," establishing the development goals for my country's Industrial Internet over the next three years. It is foreseeable that the integration of 5G and the Industrial Internet will greatly promote the transformation and upgrading of industries, accelerating their development and expansion.
In conclusion, the addition of 5G has created a new landscape for the development of the industrial internet. Despite facing many challenges, 5G+industrial internet still has a promising future.
