China Internet Report 2019 released.
Last week, the South China Morning Post and its subsidiary abacus published the brand new China Internet Report 2019. If you want to get a good overview of what is happening in Digital China, about key players and main trends you should check it out!
The authors have identified 4 top trends for 2019+:
1. China’s ‘Copycat’ Tech Industry Is Now Being Copied
While our online players are becoming less innovative, their Chinese counterparts are on a roll - testing new ideas & concepts every day. And now Western companies are trying to copy what is successful in China: Facebook wants its own WeChat-like Superapp, deeply integrating eCommerce to Social Media makes a lot of sense and TikTok-like super short video is everywhere (maybe Twitter should bring back Vine? 🤔).
Are those Chinese concepts & ideas compatible with the thinking of Western companies & customers? Time will tell...
2. China is Racing Ahead With 5G
In Germany the auction for 5G frequencies ended just a few weeks ago. When will we start using 5G now? 🤷♂️! China on the other hand granted its first 5G commercial licenses to the country’s big three telecom operators in June and they will deploy upwards of 200,000 5G base stations across the country by the end of the year... 🚀
3. China is Using AI on a Massive Scale
AI is already being used everywhere: for access control, customized recommendations, smart city applications and, of course, surveillance...
4. Social Credit Is Becoming a Reality in China
Reading Western media reports could give you the impression that "Social Credit" is already rolled out everywhere in China as an all-encompassing system. But so far it isn't, there a some national blacklists for deadbeats and many local tests runs with various approaches - very often ignored by the citizens on the streets. But that will probably change next year as the official deadline for a national system will approach.
Btw, how can you tell that the Social Credit System is a big deal for the central government? Because it got its own theme song and music video! 😳
(More on the Social Credit System)
This are just four trends. For a deep dive into 11 other topics (Ecommerce, Content & Media, Social & Messaging, Sharing Economy, 5G, AI, Autonomous Car, Smartphones, Smart Devices, Gaming, Blockchain + Fintech) download the 100+ page report - for free!!