China accelerates industrial digitalization with 5G+ industrial internet pilot program

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced Tuesday that the country is making substantial strides in digitizing its industries by integrating 5G and industrial internet technologies.

On the same day, the country launched a pilot program to advance "the integrated application of 5G + industrial internet" in 10 cities, as part of its latest push for smart manufacturing and digital economy. This initiative, unveiled at the 2024 China 5G+ Industrial Internet Conference in Wuhan City, is set to boost innovation and drive large-scale industrial upgrades across diverse sectors.

Nanjing, Wuhan, Qingdao, and seven other cities were selected as the first 5G+ industrial internet pilot cities. According to the MIIT, these cities will focus on developing 5G-powered industrial clusters and innovation ecosystems with pace-setting effects at both regional and national levels.

"There are already over 15,000 5G+ industrial internet projects, covering all 41 major industrial categories. The number of registered signs has exceeded 600 billion, serving more than 450,000 enterprises. Industrial internet has emerged as one of the most dynamic filed of 5G innovation," said Zhang Yunming, vice minister of the MIIT.

Zhang also highlighted the significant cost reduction of 5G modules, which have dropped by 90 percent since it began commercial use in 2019, providing key technological support for the implementation of industrial Internet.

The ministry has issued guidelines on the integrated application of 5G+ industrial internet for various industries, including steel, construction machinery, and electric power, and will soon release an upgraded version of the 5G + industrial internet policy.

"We hope to involve more experts from different fields. On one hand, this will promote the upgrading of and connectivity between old information systems, facilitating data flow across industries. On the other hand, we aim to explore the practical applications of new technologies such as 5G-Advanced, AI, and blockchain in key industries," said Liu Wenqing, deputy director of the China Academy of Industrial Internet.

The MIIT also released the list of 5G factories for the year 2024 at the conference. A total of 400 5G-powered factory projects from 39 industries, including coal mining and washing, automobile manufacturing, instrument manufacturing, food production, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and software and information technology services, have been included. These factories together have generated investments amounting to over 22 billion yuan (about 3.04 billion U.S. dollars).

The latest data showed that industrial internet has already been integrated into 45 major sectors of the national economy, covering all categories of industrial production. It is spurring the digital and intelligent transformation of industries across the board and is profoundly reshaping all aspects of production and daily life.

China accelerates industrial digitalization with 5G+ industrial internet pilot program

Hungarians voted in parliamentary elections on Sunday, with about 8.1 million people eligible to cast ballots, according to the National Election Office.

Polls opened at 06:00 local time and closed at 19:00, with initial results expected late on Sunday evening.

Of the total, about 7.6 million voters were eligible to cast ballots in person at more than 10,000 polling stations nationwide, while some 500,000 were eligible to vote by mail.

Five parties or alliances are competing in the election. The latest opinion polls showed strong support for both Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz-Christian Democratic People's Party alliance and the opposition Tisza party led by Peter Magyar.

Among smaller parties, the far-right Our Homeland Movement is seen as having a chance to enter parliament, while others, including the Democratic Coalition and the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party, are widely viewed as unlikely to cross the threshold.

This election marks Orban's fourth parliamentary race since returning to power in 2010, with the outcome set to determine whether he can secure a fifth consecutive term.

Under Hungary's electoral law, parliamentary elections are held every four years. The Hungarian parliament has 199 seats, including 106 filled through direct elections in single-member constituencies and 93 allocated to parties that enter parliament. The party or alliance that secures a majority of seats has the right to form a government.

Hungarians vote in parliamentary elections