China to launch pioneer cities for large-scale use of BeiDou satellite navigation

China is preparing to support the large-scale application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), according to a recent announcement issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The ministry plans to designate several pilot cities to demonstrate the application of BeiDou in mass consumption, manufacturing and emerging sectors such as industrial internet and artificial intelligence (AI).

The large-scale application of Beidou has now entered a critical stage of marketization, industrialization and internationalization, the announcement says.

To let the BDS empower industries, China will cultivate leading enterprises, improve product quality and build a robust industrial ecosystem, according to the announcement.

The announcement outlines that the pilot projects will focus on three areas, namely mass consumption, manufacturing and integrated innovation.

In the field of mass consumption, pilot cities will focus on areas such as smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, shared travel tools and low-altitude drones. Enterprises will be encouraged to develop and manufacture BeiDou-enabled devices, thereby improving the supply of products.

In the field of industrial manufacturing, pilot cities will accelerate the application of BeiDou in key areas like automobiles, ships, aircraft and robots, the announcement says.

Local governments have been urged to encourage the construction of platforms related to the internet of vehicles and intelligent networks and expand the proportion of commercial and passenger vehicles equipped with BDS.

In the field of integrated innovation, new scenarios for "BeiDou Plus" applications will be explored. The innovative applications of the BeiDou system in emerging industries such as the internet of vehicles, the internet of things, industrial internet and AI will be promoted.

All these measures are expected to deeply integrate the BDS with new scenarios like smart cities, intelligent transportation, smart logistics, smart maritime and precision agriculture, the announcement says.

(With input from Xinhua.)