The construction of “5G + Industrial Internet” is accelerating.
2021-11-16
In recent years, the development of 5G plus the industrial internet has entered a fast-track phase, with an ever-expanding range of application scenarios demonstrating a vibrant momentum of technological innovation empowering industrial transformation. Standing at this moment of rapid 5G growth, Unisoc recently hosted a 5G Industry Application Seminar, bringing together numerous pioneers in the 5G industry from across the value chain. Under the theme “Pooling Resources, Concentrating Wisdom, and Promoting Integration and Sharing,” the seminar explored industry development trends, shared application achievements, and looked ahead to the future of 5G industry development.
5G To B empowers thousands of industries and sectors.
As 5G’s large-scale commercial deployment becomes more widespread, the boundary between the digital and physical worlds will be broken. While 5G is already being widely adopted in consumer-facing (To C) applications, it is also beginning to empower a wide range of industries in business-to-business (To B) settings. At the conference, reporters learned that currently, 5G has already penetrated over ten sectors in China, including industry, agriculture, construction, and healthcare. According to statistical data from more than 30 provinces and cities across the country, 5G industry applications have become a key focus for development in each region. In 2021, the number of 5G application cases had already exceeded 12,000, clearly demonstrating that 5G industry applications have begun to spark significant synergies across various sectors.
Wu Bing from the Shanghai Industry Research Institute of China Mobile said that China Mobile has currently accumulated more than 100 viable industry application scenarios across 18 sectors, and over 5,000 projects are now being replicated and promoted. In addition, China Mobile has launched the "Jiutian AI Platform," which focuses on several key industries—including manufacturing, transportation, finance, healthcare, education, and smart cities—to empower digital and intelligent transformation across these sectors.
In terms of logistics, JD.com has established a deep partnership with Unisoc. Chen Yami, a 5G Smart Logistics Architect at JD Logistics, stated that the company has adopted several modules based on Unisoc chips in areas such as warehouse robots and visual CPE devices. Currently, JD Logistics operates 38 large-scale “Asia No.1” smart logistics parks and, in collaboration with partners, has launched the “5G Fully Connected Smart Warehouse,” covering operational scenarios ranging from inbound handling and sorting to monitoring and operations & maintenance.
In the healthcare sector, the 5G application innovation project “5G Smart Healthcare Illuminates Hainan Health Island,” jointly submitted by Unisoc, China Unicom Hainan, and China Unicom IoT Co., Ltd., is the nation’s first remote-diagnosis informationization project based on 5G technology that covers all primary-level medical institutions across the entire province. The project deploys 5G smart applications centered around scenarios such as remote consultations, intelligent tiered diagnosis and treatment, smart hospitals, and emergency rescue systems.
5G industry integration still faces numerous challenges.
At a time when 5G To B is continuously empowering countless industries, the integration of 5G with various sectors is also facing numerous challenges.
Chen Yami pointed out that 5G To B faces four major pain points. First, there’s the issue of 5G service capabilities. 5G To B services lack sufficient standardization and need to be further enhanced to meet the diverse needs of various industries. Moreover, compared to To C customers, To B customers have higher requirements—both in terms of network reliability and usage—and thus demand greater security and flexibility. Consequently, 5G places even higher demands on service provision for the To B segment.
Second, the costs are relatively high. Many vendors—including operators—still rely on To C network architectures and infrastructure to serve To B needs, making it difficult to keep costs under control. In response, many vendors have been making significant changes, including establishing joint laboratories with operators. In To B services, there may be a need for lighter-weight, lower-cost infrastructure—such as low-cost UPF gateways—to meet relevant requirements. To B customers are more sensitive than To C customers; therefore, it’s crucial to keep 5G costs in check to ensure that the “input-output” ratio remains effectively balanced.
Once again, there is a lack of integrated solutions that deliver tangible value. For different industries, the real need of customers lies in 5G’s ability to help reduce costs and boost efficiency. Whether it’s terminals, networks, or platform products, 5G must be seamlessly integrated into digitalization and intelligent technologies, thereby creating comprehensive, integrated solutions that effectively align with industry needs and truly meet those demands.
Finally, we need to create products that deliver “1+1>2” results. The integration of 5G with other industries is not merely a superficial effort or a simple “1+1” combination; rather, it must give rise to products that achieve “1+1>2”—offering lower costs and higher efficiency while serving more industries. As for product development, 5G still has room for improvement in the To B sector.
Building 5G industry integration and innovation can start with simplifying chip design.
As is well known, the development of 5G communication technology is inseparable from the support of 5G chips. As 5G transitions from To C to To B applications, the streamlined development of 5G chips will effectively address various challenges in the integration and innovation of the 5G industry.
Although each terminal type has relatively limited functionality, every terminal still has customized requirements. As a result, this creates differentiated demands for the entire module and chip designs. Consequently, these demands are actually ill-suited to the traditional mass-market approach—typically geared toward consumer (To C) applications—and the associated promotion strategies. Therefore, in order to align with the evolving trends in industry terminals, substantial efforts must be made in areas such as modules and chips. We need to address key challenges including customization, high costs, and elevated R&D expenses, thereby ensuring that we can both meet industry-specific requirements and reduce costs throughout the R&D and shipment processes for industry terminals.
Therefore, some experts point out that streamlining chip design can help accelerate the development of 5G toward B2B applications, particularly by effectively addressing the industry’s current challenges of “terminal customization and high terminal costs.” Today, lightweight chips also face the challenge of finding scalable markets and applications. For these streamlined features to be truly effective in industry applications or terminals, it’s crucial to clearly identify which functions should be retained and what level of performance they must achieve. At the same time, it’s necessary to carefully select and optimize the functions already present in chips based on R15 and R16 standards—or even add new features as appropriate. For example, the State Grid requires high-precision chips; however, many of these advanced features are unnecessary for other industries. Thus, by appropriately streamlining certain chip functionalities, we can enhance service quality while simultaneously reducing costs.
The vigorous development of the 5G industry calls for close collaboration across the entire industrial chain—both upstream and downstream. To achieve breakthroughs, it’s not enough for chip manufacturers alone; all industries must join forces and move forward together—after all, “many hands make light work.” Tao Hanfeng, General Manager of Dingqiao’s IoT module product line, pointed out that the entire IoT industry encompasses thousands of different sectors. Only through collective efforts can we solidify the foundation of our digital economy and society. Therefore, pursuing integrated innovation is an essential path forward. Only in this way can we create high-quality, highly stable products and services.
Source: China Electronics News
Author: Shen Cong
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