The China digital economy is expected to gain $2 trillion from AI and 5G by 2030, accounting for 8.3% of Chinese GDP, as Beijing works on solidifying its global tech leadership, according to a GSMA Intelligence report, ahead of its Beijing Post-MWC event.
At a time when global attention turns to Mobile World Conference (MWC) Shanghai, China’s is hastening its adoption of 5G, with the hope of reaching 1.2 billion connections by 2027, and AI-powered internet of things (IoT) ecosystem revealing that the China digital economy will have more competitiveness in digitizing heavy industries.
The Mobile Economy China 2025 report highlighted 5G’s central role, with 40% of growth linked to smart manufacturing upgrades.
While the world is concentrating on MWC 2025 in Shanghai, China’s digital economy once again establishes its leadership in adopting 5G, AI, and IoT technologies and reaffirming how digital China powering the economy to global competitiveness.
Economic Growth Drivers
GSMA leaders like Director General Vivek Badrinath, CMO Lara Dewar, and CEO John Hoffman talked about China’s 5G adoption at pace, which is now over half of the country’s mobile connections. Chinese operators are integrating more AI into their business offerings, riding 5G Standalone (SA) and 5G-Advanced networks to drive sector-specific innovation.
China’s operators are focusing on integrating AI for economic development to their 5G Standalone (SA) networks to improve network management, automate traffic control, and optimize real-time resource allocation.
AI in 5G networks enables ultra-low latency, higher data throughput, and support for breakthroughs like smart cities and autonomous systems. By doing so, operators can become more efficient, enable sector-specific innovations, and deliver more intelligent, data-driven services to businesses and consumers.
“China continues to show how advanced 5G services, mobile innovation, AI, and digital services can have real economic impact,” said Badrinath.
However, fraud through AI is a global concern and China is no exception, as AI adoption become widespread, so do fraud incidents. The threat over AI-led fraud challenges prevention efforts, making proactive alert systems crucial for the China digital economy, though the fight remains tough.
Mobile Economy China 2025 Report Findings
- Mobile technologies will contribute $1.2 trillion (£950 billion) or 6.2% of GDP to China in 2024.
- China’s mobile internet user base will grow from 1.17 billion in 2024 to 1.22 billion, increasing penetration from 80% to 84% by 2030.
- Monthly mobile data traffic per connection will increase fourfold by 2030 to nearly 70GB.
- Manufacturing will lead to 5G uptake, IoT, and AI and power close to half of the anticipated economic impact.
The entire 14 Greater China operators, including major players like China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, are actively collaborating to advance unified digital infrastructure and services, have adopted GSMA Open Gateway initiative.
All this to accelerate connectivity and encompass cross-network 5G Quality on Demand (QoD) integration, which is a network feature that allows users to request customized network performance.
Global Tech Developments
MWC25 Shanghai will feature four grand themes, which are 5G Inside, AI+, Connected Industries, and Connected Enablers. The event will cover AI for telecoms, 5G monetization, sustainability, and regulatory barriers for China’s AI economic development.
For the first time, the IoT exhibit (IOTE) will be co-sited in Hall N5 at MWC25, including Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), edge computing, and IoT platforms.
“As we look ahead to MWC Shanghai, we will bring together top tech players from China and the world to connect with each other and demonstrate how their advanced innovations in 5G and AI are shaping the future of the global tech industry,” said GSMA Greater China Head, Sihan Bo Chen.
China’s digital economy is a leading global force. Its AI and 5G innovations are making the country a worldwide leader in AI for economic development. China digital economy investments are at the forefront of the economic development, making a significant shift in the future of global competitiveness.
Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the tech industry. Keep an eye on our Telecom sections to stay informed and up-to-date with our daily articles.