Dedicated channel speeds access to international Internet sites

Launch is part of Nantong's smart city development, Ding Congrong reports.

A dedicated Internet channel for international communication was launched in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on Dec 30, making the city the third in the province to have access to the international information superhighway after Suzhou and Nanjing.

The channel is the city’s latest effort in building a smart city system to improve its information infrastructure, and is expected to help with the development of its intelligent industries.

The smart city system, based on cloud-computing technology, is set to provide local residents with timely and convenient information services.

Officials and industry insiders attending the launch ceremony included Zhang Guohua, mayor and deputy Party chief of Nantong; Su Shaolin, director of the Jiangsu provincial communications administration; Wang Bingke, chairman of the China Communications Industry Association; and Jia Xiaotao, deputy general manager of the Jiangsu provincial branch of China Telecom.

Deals related to the Nantong International Data Center Industrial Park were also signed at the event.

A Nantong resident uses an automatic delivery service machine to collect a parcel at his residential community. Nantong has improved its infrastructure for access to the Internet and IT-based services. JIANG JIANHUA FOR CHINA DAILY

Smart city drive

To push forward the country’s Internet Plus strategy, Nantong has invested much in building its smart city system and made marked progress in developing its information service industry in recent years.

In 2015, the city invested more than 3.97 billion yuan ($611 million) in building a smart city system that covers the economy, culture, governance, traffic, environmental protection and daily life, according to the city’s commerce authorities.

Sales from its software and information-related industries increased more than 45 percent annually for four consecutive years from 2012 to 2015, ranking among the top performing cities in the province. Renowned domestic and international information service providers, including ZTE, Inspur and iSoftStone, have launched operations in the city.

The special Internet channel is expected to greatly benefit IT companies that have high demand for visiting international Internet sites and to help promote regional industrial transformation and upgrading.

Nantong has become a national pioneer in smart city development.

In December 2011, Nantong was named a pilot city for the integration of television, telecommunications and the Internet by the State Council.

In August 2013, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development named it a national pilot for smart cities. In November of the same year, it was named one of 15 pilot cities for the European Union-China Smart City Cooperation Project, by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

As a national pilot for smart cities, Nantong has been striving to promote the development of its IT and information services industries by upgrading its information infrastructure, Zhang said.

New opportunities

The launch of the special channel will effectively meet the demand of emerging industries, including cloud computing, big data, service outsourcing, Internet finance and modern logistics, he said.

He urged related government departments and institutions to further push forward the effort of building Nantong into a smart city.

Information service providers and operators are encouraged to increase their investment in Nantong’s information infrastructure construction, he said.

More upstream and downstream enterprises in the information industry are welcome to start operations in the city, he added.

The launch of the special channel marks a new phase of information infrastructure construction in Jiangsu province and will create a better environment for export-oriented Internet enterprises and help with the development of emerging industries, Su said.

He urged the city to make good use of the channel to speed up the development of its Internet commerce industry and related industries.

Nantong’s international information superhighway would significantly contribute to the development of the information industry in the city and for eastern China, Wang said.

In return, the accelerated development of such industries as the Internet of Things, software and big data would attract better-known international enterprises, he said.

Contact the writer at dingcongrong@chinadaily.com.cn