IoT, which require a lot of bandwidth, cannot develop their full potential or cannot be used at all. And even existing technology may not run reliably. The consequences range from relatively minor issues such as poor accessibility to serious business risks such as downtime and lost revenue from the inability to run operations. Chinese companies are far removed from such worries. There are 916,000 5G base stations in China. That corresponds to 70% of the global stock. Even on the summit of Mount Everest, climbers can access uninterrupted 5G network thanks to the base station set up there by China Telecom - at 8,848 meters, the highest base station on earth. 22 The world‘s lowest base station is also located in China, more specifically in the Xinyuan coal mine in Shanxi province. Here, a station was built 534 meters below the surface with investments from the government. The local manufacturing industry in particular benefits from the extensive 5G infrastructure, as it is the basis for building fully digitalised and increasingly automated smart factories. For example, 100 initial pilot projects are already concretely planned, with a further 1,000 factories to follow.
necessary for adoption are not equally present in every country in Europe. In the Nordic countries Finland, Sweden and Denmark in particular, digitisation is already well advanced in various relevant areas. While countries such as Italy, Romania and Bulgaria; on the other hand, still urgently need to catch up. Greece also ranks last in terms of connectivity. In contrast, the Chinese government is driving digitalisation forward on a massive scale. The importance of transformation as an economic driver was recognised in China years ago, and digital solutions are firmly anchored in industry today. In the southern Chinese economic area of Guiyang ( 贵阳 ), for example, over 85% of local industrial companies use cloud technologies. 21 For manufacturing companies from abroad, this builds up optimal conditions for the use of new technologies and the establishment of smart factories.
in particular are well-known for innovative developments and widespread use of modern technology. The ASEAN region is the fastest growing internet market in the world with 125,000 new users per day. 17 And then, China, in particular, is now more digitally savvy than almost any other country: the majority of global e-commerce sales comes from China. Almost two-thirds of the population (close to a billion people) use a smartphone and more than a third pay via WeChat Pay or Alipay, dominant mobile payment platforms in the country. 18 A report by the World Economic Forum puts China in first place by a wide margin in the global ranking of digital competitiveness (also notable, Indonesia is another country in the APAC and ASEAN region in the top 10). 19 The will to digitise and technological optimism are important factors in the strengthening of the Chinese economy.
ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
3. Largest 5G network in the world
An enhanced digital infrastructure is integral to technological development. Of particular importance are fast, stable internet and high quality connections. Although Europe is a global leader in the development of 5G technology, it lags significantly behind in 5G deployment. If current trends continue, 5G will account for just 35% of networks in use in Europe in 2026. Insufficient connectivity can have major drawbacks. New technologies like
916,000 5G base stations in China (70% of global stock)
Nationwidedigitalisation
Digital transformation is also a key topic in the European manufacturing industry. Nine out of ten industrial companies think that digitalisation is more of an opportunity than a risk for them. 20 However, the conditions
5G network will grow denser in the future
China is still a long way from reaching its goal when it comes to 5G. The national
17 - https://www.weforum.org/projects/digital-asean
18 - https://newzoo.com/insights/rankings/top-countries-by-smartphone-penetration-and-users/
19 - https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/countries-rank-highest-digital-competitiveness/
21 - https://www.presseportal.de/pm/134463/4911452
20 - https://www.pwc.de/de/digitale-transformation/digital-factories-2020-shaping-the-future-of- manufacturing.pdf
22 - https://www.maschinenmarkt.vogel.de/china-beschleunigt-5g-rollout-fuer-die-fertigungsindustrie-a- 1061472/
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