5G, industrial internet changing production

The combination of the industrial internet and 5G can also make hydropower stations function better. Tingzikou hydropower station in Guangyuan, Sichuan province, has deployed 5G networks from China Mobile with a private industrial internet built for the station.

With the help of 5G networks, an underwater robot can be used to automatically inspect the hydropower station's water volume to ensure safety and efficiency.

Wang Haoran, an expert from Tsinghua University's Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute, said every three to five years, or following every major flood, the Tingzikou station's stilling basin undergoes a thorough check.

In the pre-robotics era, workers would undertake deep dives to conduct such checks, which were relatively inefficient, time-consuming and tended to interrupt electricity supply. "Such a process could consume three to six months and cost around 5 million yuan ($748,000)," Wang said.

But 5G robots can accomplish the task in about 20 days as they obviate the need to pump out water from the basin and can do some basic work like removing silt. "The cost of each check can be lowered to 700,000 yuan," said Wang.

5G-powered aerial drones are also used in dam checks. By integrating artificial intelligence, big data and other cutting-edge technologies, China Mobile has built a high-precision dam surface inspection system that uses autonomous 5G drones, which can map in 3D.

These real-case applications of 5G and the industrial internet showcase the strides China has made in using these technologies. They are partly the result of the central government's push to strengthen local companies' competence in the sector.

The industrial internet is a frontier technology in which countries around the world are scrambling to establish a beachhead. It is an essential part of China's industrial upgrade drive that attempts to boost the marriage between cutting-edge digital technologies and the manufacturing sector.

The State Council－the country's Cabinet－unveiled a guideline in November 2017 that aims to build three to five industrial internet platforms which will reach international standard by 2025 and lead the world in key areas by 2035.

As of May, more than 70 industrial internet platforms with regional or sector-wide influence have emerged in China.

Zhang Yong, CEO of Alibaba Group, said the industrial internet's future lies in its deep integration with the consumer internet, which will help build a vibrant market-oriented and market-driven economy, as well as push forward supply-side reforms.

Zhang cited clothing manufacturing as an example.

"The era when production determines consumption has gone." The integration of the industrial internet and the consumer internet is enabling on-demand manufacturing. By connecting both the supply side and the demand side, such integration allows companies to rapidly produce tailor-made clothing for consumers at scale.

"Through such flexible production, companies can avoid greater inventory risks and better meet external market demand during the process of pushing products into the market," Zhang said. He said such a mindset will also penetrate into other areas, which will promote the perfect integration of the industrial internet and the consumer internet.

Liu Duo, head of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a government think tank, said a technology or industry must prove it can help companies boost quality and efficiency as well as reduce costs if it wants to be used on a large scale. The industrial internet has already proved its potential in these aspects.

"As China steps up its push to build stand-alone 5G base stations, the industrial internet will see a golden development period," Liu added.