China ICT (Info Communications Technology) Industry, Infra, Commerce, Exports: News & Discussions

[cirr]

Quantum communication networks put in service in central China

2017-11-01 09:09

Xinhua Editor: Gu Liping

A quantum telecommunication network has been put into service in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, the network builder said Tuesday.

Wu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Fourth Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, said the network was now used for communication among government agencies in Wuhan. It is the first quantum communication network in central China.

According to a national plan, the network will be connected to other similar city quantum networks along the Yangtze River.

A quantum telecommunication line is also under construction between Wuhan and Hefei, capital of Anhui Province.

Anhui is on a 2,000-km quantum communication line in China. Known as the Jing-Hu (Beijing-Shanghai) Trunk Line, it connects Beijing, Jinan, Hefei and Shanghai.

The line is the world's first trunk line for secure quantum telecommunications.

http://www.ecns.cn/2017/11-01/279166.shtml

 

[cirr]

Inspur forms grand alliance to give B&R markets tech boost

2017-11-03 09:52

China Daily Editor: Gu Mengxi

Inspur Group Co Ltd, China's biggest server maker, formed an alliance with global tech giants and Chinese financial institutions on Thursday to provide IT solutions to economies participating in the Belt and Road, or B&R, Initiative.

This is the first alliance initiated by enterprises to serve countries and regions involved in the B&R Initiative, according to Inspur.

Tech players IBM and Cisco Systems Inc, financial and retail services provider Diebold Nixdorf, and telecoms major Ericsson AB are part of the alliance.

Together with Inspur, they will offer solutions for cloud data centers, financial services, taxation, smart cities and other projects.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is not only about connecting ports, railways and highways, but also about freeing up the flow of information and data and enhancing digital links among those countries and regions," said Sun Pishu, chairman and CEO of Inspur.

National banks and insurance companies including the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China and China Export & Credit Insurance Corp will provide financial support for relevant projects.

"Our alliance is meant to solve both technical bottlenecks and capital shortages that are limiting the development of economies related to the Belt and Road Initiative, especially in their efforts to accelerate informatization," Sun said, without disclosing specific investment plans.

The move is in line with China's broad plan to promote innovation.

The country is making significant progress in the IT sector, with breakthroughs already made in both hardware and software.

Wang Endong, chief scientist of Inspur, said: "After years of development, China has leapt from a follower to a leader in innovation in server-related technologies. China outpaced other countries in server patent applications, which will offer a strong momentum to growth."

Inspur said earlier it aims to double its overseas revenue from 20 percent of total revenue in 2016 to 40 percent by 2020.

As of now, the Shandong-based company's IT products are available in 113 countries and regions.

Its sales footprint covers half of the economies related to the B&R Initiative, including Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

In Saudi Arabia, Inspur has provided its high-tech products and solutions to sectors and industries such as agriculture, healthcare, aerospace and new vehicle materials.

"Different from other cooperations, the alliance will bring China's high-tech prowess to countries like Nigeria, one of most populous countries of Africa, which will meet our urgent need for solving mounting security problems and promoting intelligent education," said Amb Kabiru Rabiu, a representative of the government of Kano, which is an important province in Nigeria.

 

[cirr]

Lenovo to acquire Fujitsu's PC unit

2017-11-03 09:38 China Daily Editor: Gu Mengxi

Computer maker posts strong growth in quarterly revenue

Lenovo Group Ltd said on Thursday that it will spend about $224 million to acquire a 51 percent stake in Japanese technology firm Fujitsu Ltd's personal computer business, to boost margins and recapture the top slot in global personal computer shipments.

The Chinese company, which was dislodged from the top slot earlier this year by HP Inc, expects the Fujitsu deal to have a scale-effect on its operations and revenue.

The combined market share of Lenovo (21.6 percent) and Fujitsu (about 4 percent) is bigger than HP which holds about 22.8 percent, according to data from market research company International Data Corp.

The deal also came close on the heels of the company announcing its strongest revenue jump in two years, thanks in part to the faster-than-average growth of its PC business.

Hong Kong-listed Lenovo said in a filing that it would pay for the stake in Fujitsu Client Computing Ltd with 17.85 billion yen ($156.70 million) in cash and the remaining based on performance to 2020. The two sides will also set up a joint venture that will integrate Fujitsu's client resources, manufacturing, research and development capabilities with Lenovo's global presence.

Lenovo said it posted a 5 percent year-on-year jump in revenue to $11.8 billion for the quarter that ended in September. The performance surpassed analysts' projections for $11.3 billion and marked the biggest rise since the same period of 2015, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Yang Yuanqing, chairman of Lenovo, said in a statement that "While sustaining a leading profit level, our PC business has performed better than the average. By boosting marketing and sales capabilities, the data center business is also being effectively reconstructed."

Lenovo has been struggling to revive momentum in personal computers, smartphones and server businesses amid mounting competition from both domestic peers and foreign rivals.

Jacky Zhao, an analyst at IDC, said the Fujitsu deal will contribute to Lenovo's long-term development, as it is trying to team up with all possible partners amid the continued downtrend in the PC market.

"Setting up joint ventures is an effective way to survive the cold winter. It can give Lenovo more resources to revive its business when demand begins to pick up," Zhao said, adding the commercial and consumer PC market is already showing signs of recovery.

Lenovo also said in July, 2016, that it would spend $195 million to increase its stake in its PC joint venture with another Japanese firm NEC Corp.

When it comes to the smartphone business, where Lenovo is facing mounting pressure from rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the company said the turnaround is still in progress.

In the quarter ended in September, it sold 15.3 million units of smartphones globally, up 10 percent year-on-year, with good performances especially in Latin America and Western Europe.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2017/11-03/279502.shtml

 

[cirr]

China sets timeline to develop industrial internet

2017-11-04 09:07 Xinhua Editor: Li Yan

China has set a clear timetable for integration of industry and the internet, or the "industrial Internet," a senior official said Friday.

By 2025, construction of industrial internet infrastructure network covering all regions and sectors will be basically complete, said Chen Zhaoxiong, vice minister of industry and information technology (MIIT).

By 2035, China will lead the world in key sectors of the industrial Internet field.

By the middle of the century, China should be among the top countries in terms of overall strength of industrial Internet.

"The industrial internet is a new concept that matters to the whole world," said Han Xia, an MIIT official. "Compared with developed countries, China still lags behind."

A State Council executive meeting Monday approved guidelines on developing the industrial internet, promising streamlined administration and fiscal support. Market access will be widened, and companies encouraged to seek private funding.

Businesses must improve security against cyber attacks, while specialist network security systems for key manufacturing sectors such as automobiles, aviation and aerospace will be put in place.

In line with overall economic restructuring, billions of yuan are expected to flow into technology projects related to the "Made in China 2025" strategy, a blueprint for improving the manufacturing sector.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2017/11-04/279616.shtml

 

[JSCh]

China to provide better Internet access in Nepal
By Zhou Weigang
2017-11-20 20:36 GMT+8
Updated 2017-11-20 23:11 GMT+8

Running over the Himalayas and all the way to Hong Kong, a length of optical fiber is changing locals’ daily lives in Nepal.

Built by China Telecom Global (CTG), the link is part of the company’s mission to provide greater Internet access and services to Nepal.

Considered a move to break the decades-long monopoly of India's telecom service provider in the Nepali market, CTG's Internet services are eagerly expected by the local telecommunication industry and people who do business online.

Surfing the Internet /Gbtimes Photo

Calling himself a pioneering figure of online video news in Nepal, Sitaram Bhattarai said that he has been troubled by the “not-so-reliable” Internet service for years, as it has been solely provided by India since installation in Nepal. But now, he is no longer bothered.

A network operation center not far from his office monitors the Himalayan optical fiber. So far, all tests show that the Internet access provided by China is very stable. Even better, it’s affordable.

Nepal Telecom is optimistic and ambitious about the connection’s market prospects.

4G service is only available in two cities in Nepal at present. /CGTN Photo

Currently, 4G service is only available in two cities in Nepal, Kathmandu and Bokhram. But China’s services are expected to open new business opportunities for the whole mobile Internet market. Kaminiraj Bhandari, managing director of Nepal Telecom said that focusing more on mobile services will allow “telecom providers to give customers good quality services, on-demand services”.

Providing high-quality services to Nepal is only one part of CTG's plan. According to Deng Xiaofeng, its general manager, the cooperation is a win-win strategy. Inspired by the project, Deng recently expanded CTG’s Internet services to Pakistan, Laos and Thailand.

/VCG Photo

“We want to build a grand corridor and a big platform for telecommunication. I’d call this an ‘information-centered high-speed link’ along the Belt and Road routes. This offers our company a great opportunity. This opportunity also belongs to all of our partner companies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. We can develop together.”

Back in Nepal, people like Bhattarai really want to grow their businesses based on the Internet services. They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a faster and more reliable Internet service, as they believe that better connections to the outside world can improve lives.

 

[JSCh]

China starts 3rd phase of 5G tests
By Ma Si | China Daily | Updated: 2017-11-25 09:07

A 5G display station at the 25th PT/EXPO COMM China in Beijing in September. [Photo/VCG]

Current round to help country gain an edge in early tech adoption

China has started the third phase of 5G technology research and development tests, ahead of schedule, as the country accelerates steps to gain a lead in the race toward commercializing the next-generation communication technology.

The move came as China Mobile Communications Corp and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd showcased the world's smallest 5G testing terminal on Friday, indicating that the country will pioneer the world in 5G research and development.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the third phase of technical tests aims to get pre-commercial 5G products ready when the first version of 5G standards comes out in June next year.

The industry regulator has called for more efforts to upgrade testing environments and a bigger push to experiment with more 5G-enabled applications, with added focus on the integration of chips, systems and other instruments.

Previously, officials said the third phase tests would not start until next year. The country had concluded the second phase of tests earlier this year, with contributions from both domestic and foreign companies such as Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson.

On Friday, China Mobile and Huawei also showcased the world's smallest 5G testing device at the former's global partners conference in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The device, which is roughly the size of Amazon.com Inc's smart speaker, can convert high-speed 5G signals into Wi-Fi signals, helping users access wireless broadband services. It can be used to test 5G pre-commercial networking and support other trials, Huawei said in a statement.

In comparison, most of the testing machines are very heavy and some even need to be carried by a trolley.

These moves are part of China's broad push to commercialize 5G services in 2020.

China Mobile said it would deploy 10,000 5G base stations by 2020.

Huang Haifeng, an expert at the leading telecom industry website cww.net, said China has evolved from a follower into a leader in the global telecom sector.

"The smallest 5G testing machine shows that China Mobile and Huawei have poured tons of resources into research and development, because 5G-enabled devices are far better than 4G devices in many aspects and it is hard to shrink the devices into a small size," Huang said.

 

[TaiShang]

Nov 24, 2017 07:55 PM

China Not Phoning It In on Race to 5G
By Yang Ge

China's three major wirelesss carriers plan to spend $180 billion collectively on 5G networks over the next 10 years, according to one analyst estimate. Photo: IC

China gave the latest signals this week that it intends to be at the forefront of the next generation of mobile communications, reversing years of a previous policy that saw it typically lag behind, as it tries to wield greater influence in the development of new technologies.

One of the new signals came from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China’s telecoms regulator, which said it has officially launched the third stage of trials for fifth-generation (5G) networks expected to replace current 4G technology in global markets starting in 2019.

The ministry said the new trials aim to speed China’s move to the commercialization of the technology that will facilitate data transfer rates of up to 100 megabits per second in major metropolitan areas. That will boost efficiency for functions like video streaming and pave the way for a new generation of functions with big data requirements.

“(The new trials) are aimed at promoting organizational coordination, encouraging research and development and testing between domestic and international companies, in order to lay a solid foundation for the realization of commercial 5G service, and to contribute to the global advancement of 5G technology and the industry’s development,” the MIIT said in a statement on its website on Thursday.

In another major signal of the country’s intent, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday that China’s three major wireless carriers, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, all plan to roll out the initial commercial version of 5G mobile networks next year and will scale up from there.

The latest signals continue Beijing’s trend of aggressively pushing 5G, which could see commercial service launch as soon as 2020, said Edison Lee, an analyst at Jefferies. Such an aggressive rollout, within a year or less of peers in major Western markets, would break sharply with the past when China was typically at least two to three years behind.

Such delays were largely due to conservatism by the MIIT, which wanted to wait for the technology to mature before making major investments usually totaling more than $100 billion by the nation’s big three carriers. Lee said he forecasts the trio will spend $180 billion collectively on 5G networks over the next 10 years.

China has sought to have a greater say in development of 5G technologies after spawning some of the world’s top networking equipment makers, most notably Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., and evolving into the world’s largest wireless market, with around 1.3 billion subscribers. Such a role opens the door for local companies to develop new technologies that can be used in their own equipment and consumer products and also licensed to others.

“It’s the first time that China could participate in setting a global telecom standard and various Chinese entities have aggressively contributed to the standard so that China will likely own a decent patent share in 5G, maybe 15% to 20%,” Lee said. “It will help China become a leader of the global supply chain. Moreover, China has ambitions plans in utilizing the 5G networks to provide industrial IoT (internet of things) services, promote cloud computing and big data for all major industries.”

China is expected to become one of the fastest adopters of 5G when new services start to launch in the next few years, accounting for more than half of all subscribers by 2022, according to a report released last month by London-based CCS insight.

Other countries will catch up after that, but the nation is still expected to account for about 40% of all 5G connections by 2025, CCS forecast.

“We see China playing a far more influential role in 5G than it did in 4G,” said CCS analyst Marina Koytcheva. “China will dominate 5G thanks to its political ambition to lead technology development, the inexorable rise of local manufacturer Huawei and the breakneck speed at which consumers have upgraded to 4G connections in the recent past.”

https://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-11-24/china-not-phoning-it-in-on-race-to-5g-101175941.html

 

[cirr]

China to speed up IPv6-based Internet development

2017-11-27 09:34 Xinhua Editor: Wang Fan

China plans to put the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)-based network into large-scale use, to boost the development of the Internet industry.

The country aims to have 200 million active users of IPv6 by the end of 2018, while the number will exceed 500 million by 2020, according to an action plan issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

By the end of 2025, network, applications and terminal devices will fully support the adoption of IPv6 in China, and it will have the largest number of IPv6 users in the world, according to the plan.

Computers, mobile phones, electronic devices and sensors that are connected to the Internet need a unique Internet Protocol address to identify themselves and communicate with each other.

The addresses used predominantly on the Internet are based on a communication standard known as IPv4, whose supply of addresses is running out.

The IPv6 network, first developed in the 1990s in China, allows a much higher theoretical limit on the number of IP addresses than the current IPv4 system.

http://www.ecns.cn/2017/11-26/282312.shtml

 

[JSCh]

China to build three information infrastructure projects
By Zhang Jie | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-11-29 13:51

China is accelerating its plan to carry out the "Broadband China" strategy to develop digital economy. [Photo/IC]

China is accelerating its plan to carry out the "Broadband China" strategy to develop digital economy.

Three series of information infrastructure projects involving optical fiber, 5G networks and quantum communication networks were released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

According to the NDRC, the optical fiber project with 100Mbp capacity will be promoted to China's central and western regions. The optical fiber users will account for 50 percent of all internet users in villages, and the regions' access capability to broadband will need to reach 12 Mbps.

China's municipalities, capital cities and major city clusters in Pearl River, Yangtze River delta areas, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will start to build 5G networks. People will be able to use 5G service in urban areas and home.

The secure quantum communication backbone network will be set up in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River economic zone, and some cities will establish satellite earth stations.

In three to five years, the building of information infrastructure will boom in rural areas of central and western regions, and first-tier cities will enter into 5G and quantum era, news website 21jingji.com said citing local government officials.

 

[JSCh]

Public Release: 1-Dec-2017
70Gb/s optical intra-connects in data centers based on band-limited devices
Science China Press

Experimental setup for 70 Gb/s data transmission link.
Credit: ©Science China Press

With the ever development of optical data-center intra-connects, the realization of high-capacity and low-cost optical communication links among severs in data centers has been more and more popular in the industry. Recently, a research result, completed by the researchers from Peking University, shows that a 70Gb/s optical link has been experimentally demonstrated using the 18GHz band-limited VCSEL and multimode fibers, which makes it possible to realize high-speed data transmission in data centers only by low-cost and band-limited devices.

SCIENCE CHINA Information Sciences has just accepted a paper under the title "A 70 Gbps NRZ optical link based on 850 nm band-limited VCSEL for data-center intra-connects" which is authored by Zhongwei TAN, Chuanchuan YANG, et al.

This research builds the corresponding optical communication link and conducts the experimental work. The receivers utilize the forward-feed equalization (FFE), combined with the max likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE), to process the received data, efficiently eliminating the inter symbol interference (ISI) caused by the limited bandwidth and realizing the 70 Gb/s data transmission.

With the development of Internet, the demand for mass data transmission and processing is ever growing. Especially for hyper-scale data centers, it is significant to build the high-capacity and low-cost communication links for sharing the processing ability and storage ability among servers. Based on the above, optical data-center intra-connects develop quickly, and how to realize the optical links with high speed and low cost becomes extraordinarily important. The previous researches in this field mostly focused on the high transmission rate and employed large-bandwidth VCSELs (25GHz or so, typically). However, the large-bandwidth VCSELs lead to extremely high cost, which is against the original intention for low-cost optical intra-connects in data centers.

Based on the status, this research mainly focuses on the 18GHz band-limited commercial VCSEL, for cost saving, uses proper equalization method to suppress the ISI and realizes high data rate in short-reach data-center interconnects.

Dr. Chuanchuan YANG, the corresponding author of this paper, believes that this research is of great directive significance for the band-limit and cost-effective VCSELs to be utilized in the data centers for the high-speed optical interconnects among severs in the future.

The results enrich the research work in the field of short-distance optical intra-connects in data centers and mainly research on the communication characteristic for band-limit devices. It has important scientific significance and reference value for realizing high-capacity and low-cost data center intra-connects.

The research work is completed cooperated with Prof. Fan ZHANG, Prof. Ziyu WANG, Ph.D. candidate Yixiao ZHU, Master students Zhaopeng XU and Kaiheng ZOU, from Peking University. "To our best knowledge", wrote the researchers, "the results reported the highest data baud rate for an 18-GHz-class 850 nm VCSEL based optical link."

###​

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, China (Nos. 61275005, 61475004).

See the article: Zhongwei TAN, Chuanchuan YANG, Yixiao ZHU, et al. A 70 Gbps NRZ optical link based on 850 nm band-limited VCSEL for data-center intra-connects. Science China Information Sciences, 2017 (in press), doi: 10.1007/s11432-017-9276-y.


70Gb/s optical intra-connects in data centers based on band-limited devices | EurekAlert! Science News

 

[cirr]

中国“芯”多了一位“万能”成员

2017年12月01日 星期五

本报记者 何 亮

近日，高云半导体科技股份有限公司在上海发布了一款具有中国自主知识产权的FPGA芯片及配套平台化产品，这也是中资公司收购美国FPGA厂商莱迪斯（Lattice）告吹后第一次亮出国产“名片”，意味着中国“芯”家族多了一位中国造的“万能”成员。

增加一个USB功能，集成一片新市场

FPGA是现场可编程逻辑阵列——一种可编程“万用”芯片，其特殊的灵活性决定了在新兴应用领域中具有广阔的发展空间，特别是当下火爆的人工智能，没有现成的芯片（ASIC）可用，只能通过FPGA，利用可编程的特点，来实现并验证工程师所需要的初步解决方案。

与目前消费市场很少集成USB2.0功能块不同，新的芯片将它集纳起来，这透露出一个技术信号——FPGA不仅应用在通信系统和设备上，而且与消费类产品搭上关系。高云半导体CEO朱璟辉表示：“就像苹果工程师对FPGA表现出的兴趣一样，在iPhone 7中已经用到了FPGA。”

对于集成电路，曾有厂商将CPU（中央处理器）与FPGA集成，后者善于并行计算，处理能力强，前者则强在“管理”，这正是FPGA所缺乏的，两者结合，可有效地提升整体性能。可是，高云新的芯片放弃了CPU,却与MCU(单片微型计算机)集成到一起，朱璟辉给出的理由是，“一方面，在MCU市场，ARM架构已经占据了绝对统治地位，因此，FPGA+ARM内核的架构，将有助于提高FPGA的竞争力。另一方面，嵌入式市场非常宽广，高云选择采用FPGA+MCU（ARM）的方式进入这个广阔的嵌入式市场，主要针对的还是中高端的差异化应用，力求开拓出一片新天地。”

在消费级领域中，嵌入诸如USB2.0等模块的芯片会在图像监控、智能工业、医疗设备等领域逐步推开，动态可重构以及单片集群水平不断提高，将使FPGA功能越来越强大。比如在伺服电机控制器中，芯片的集成使这类应用的控制系统更简洁，还有更精准的电机步进控制，更炫的显示效果控制，更加人性化，更加简易的人机交户方式。

改变加密技术，应对突发“断电”

制造芯片要分层研磨，反向剥离可以将芯片每一层信息“偷”出来。比如将工艺次序倒过来执行，逐层拍照、克隆，即便完美复制的成功率很低，“万里挑一”的机会总会有的。因此供应特殊需求更成为一种在遭受技术封锁环境下的有效办法。而且，芯片做的设计常被抄袭，其电路设计和外形非常容易被原封不动地复制出来。

高云芯片实现的创新加密技术也是针对芯片本身被克隆和芯片设计被抄袭两种情况。对于前者，高云的GW1N系列芯片实现55纳米流片和28纳米设计，如果进行“反向”克隆，设备成本昂贵，且后续生产也是一个难题。高云半导体董事长陈天成告诉科技日报记者，“因为从90纳米开始，晶体管的大小跟光波几乎相近，拍照产生衍射现象，厂商则从光学原理出发，算出衍射情况做修正，在物理上还原。但是，摩尔定律不断推进，55纳米、40纳米等集成度更高的芯片靠‘反向’克隆还没有成功。”

而对用户设计的保护，芯片多了一种自我“摧毁”的手段以保证用户设计的数据流不被读出。陈天成打了个比方，这项加密技术有点像ATM机，如果ATM机被恶意破坏了，里面的钱会被喷上大量的墨汁，即使把钱取走钱也用不了的。

新的芯片是Flash工艺的非易失性FPGA。所谓非易失就是像闪存一样，当你通电的时候数据就在里边，当你掉电的时候数据还在里边。“相比于美国FPG厂商Lattice的OTP（只能编程一次）对标产品，高云芯片采用闪存工艺技术，可以多次编程，具有更强的灵活性和可重用性。”陈天成表示，目前，该类型产品可以完全取代传统的CPLD（复杂可编程逻辑器件），每年约有5亿美元的市场总量。

@Bussard Ramjet

http://digitalpaper.stdaily.com/http_www.kjrb.com/kjrb/html/2017-12/01/content_383167.htm

 

[cirr]

China-made components add security

2017-12-04 08:54 China Daily Editor: Wang Zihao

CASIC rolls out latest upgrade for intranet to prevent cyberattacks

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, a major defense contractor, has deployed the latest wave of technology in the country's largest secure intranet, which is entirely based on domestically developed hardware and software.

As one of the country's biggest arms-makers, CASIC pays great attention to information safety. Since the secure intranet project began in 2014, it has grown to connect about 20,000 computers and is the country's largest domestically sourced system, according to Shen Shiguang, deputy head of the Beijing Institute of Computer Technology and Application.

The institute is part of the CASIC Second Academy and is in charge of building and maintaining the intranet. The project was first aimed at replacing imported computers and software - which had been employed for a long time to handle classified defense information - with domestically developed technology. In September 2015, CASIC expanded the project to include all the company's computers dealing with commercial secrets.

The newly upgraded intranet features a high level of security. It is physically isolated from the internet and other publicly accessible networks, and because it is based on Chinese-designed hardware and software, it essentially eliminates the possibility of technical backdoors that are subject to hacking, Shen said.

He said a number of information security hazards have existed inside the networks and computers used by key Chinese organizations - especially those related to infrastructure and national security - since most of their processors, operating systems and storage devices were developed by foreign enterprises.

"Almost all nations of the world, especially big powers, are sparing no effort to make sure that their classified information is well protected," Shen said. "For China, if we couldn't have our own systems, our information networks would face intimidation or threats from foreign countries, and we wouldn't be able to upgrade or repair them."

Through steady improvements, most software on the CASIC internal system has become easy to use and runs as fast and as smoothly as those based on Intel chips and Microsoft software, he said.

"We will continue to build the network," Shen said. "We plan to take three years to make it connect with at least 50,000 computers within the company."

He added that the institute is leading a national program sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to promote secure intranet to government departments and enterprises tied to national security.

China's top leadership has repeatedly stressed the significance of information security. In February 2014, the Communist Party of China Central Committee set up the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs, headed by President Xi Jinping.

Developing and adopting indigenous information systems does not go against the country's commitment to an open market, as no nation should be willing to entrust its secrets to foreign platforms, said Ni Guangnan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and expert on information technology.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2017/12-04/283027.shtml

 

[JSCh]

Successful next-generation New Radio tests mark progress
By Ma Si | China Daily | Updated: 2017-12-04 09:53

Visitors watch a live show of a 5G network trial test during the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai in June. [Photo provided to China Daily]

China Mobile Communications Corp, ZTE Corp and Qualcomm Inc have reached a milestone in the precommercialization of fifth-generation communication technologies, by successfully conducting the world's first end-to-end 5G New Radio technology test.

The trio announced in mid-November that they have completed an interoperability test based on the 5G New Radio specifications under development by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, or 3GPP, an industry coalition dedicated to promoting global wireless communications standards.

The 3.5 gigahertz data connection, which was tested at China Mobile's 5G Joint Innovation Center, is set to accelerate the commercial application of 5G. It is made possible thanks to ZTE's precommercial base station and a 5G prototype developed by Qualcomm Technologies Inc, a unit of Qualcomm.

Cristiano Amon, executive vice-president at Qualcomm Technologies, said the test "is true testament to our 5G leadership, driving toward the timely launch of standards-compliant commercial networks".

According to the United States-based chip giant, the demonstration has achieved a connection that can support multi-gigabit peak data rates, while also maintaining a lower level of lag than current networks. Those features will make it an indispensable piece of the autonomous tech puzzle, particularly where that concerns self-driving vehicles.

Xiang Ligang, a telecoms expert and CEO of industry website Cctime, said although the test was conducted on the unfinalized version of 5G standards, it showed that Qualcomm and ZTE are well ahead of the competition in terms of being prepared to build 5G networks at scale.

"The first version of 5G standards is scheduled to come out around June 2018. But the big pieces are now about as ready as you can get, given drastic changes are unlikely this late in the standardization process," he said.

According to Xiang, the test shows that the trio can gain an advantage in addressing the ever-increasing number of devices featuring connectivity and the data-intense requirements of next-generation media streaming.

Xu Huijun, chief technology officer and executive vice-president of ZTE, said in a statement that the Chinese telecoms gear maker is aiming to become one of the first suppliers of commercial 5G equipment and solutions.

"During the course of 5G technology verification and product-based development, ZTE is actively verifying a multitude of key technologies, solutions and network models together with industry partners," Xu added.

Li Zhengmao, vice-president of China Mobile Communications, said: "China Mobile is committed to promoting unified global 5G standards with industry partners. The achievement of end-to-end 5G New Radio interoperable connection testing, compliant with the 3GPP 5G New Radio standards, is an important milestone of 5G standards for precommercialization."

 

[JSCh]

China, neighbors to boost telecom infrastructure
By Ma Si in Wuzhen, Zhejiang | China Daily | Updated: 2017-12-04 07:33

China, Thailand, Laos and other countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative on Sunday underlined the need for sustained efforts to expand broadband access and improve the quality of telecommunication infrastructure.

They also agreed to step up efforts toward building an interconnected Digital Silk road as part of the Belt and Road digital economy international cooperation initiative.

The digital initiative was unveiled at the 4th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, which opened on Sunday and will close on Tuesday.

Representatives said the countries concerned will allocate more resources to build infrastructure for regional communication, internet connectivity, satellite-based navigation services and information traffic.

Lin Nianxiu, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, said digital economy is playing an increasingly important part in driving global development.

"We will strengthen cooperation to explore cutting-edge technologies and to accelerate digital transformation, so that rapid tech advancements can benefit people in every country," Lin said.

China is working hard to build a digital silk road so that innovation could drive the Belt and Road Initiative.

A report by Boston Consulting Group forecast that as information technologies continue to revolutionize industries like retail, entertainment, finance and manufacturing, the country's digital economy will reach about $16 trillion by 2035, up from $1.4 trillion in 2015.

Bounsaleumsay Khennavong, Laos' vice-minister for posts and telecommunications, said the initiative to deepen cooperation in digital economy will bring new growth potential and create a community of shared interests.

Khennavong said he expects more companies from China and other countries to partner with Laos in the information communication technology sector.

The countries also called for deepening cooperation in fields like e-commerce, internet-based entrepreneurship and innovation. They stressed efforts to collectively leverage digital opportunities to support micro businesses, and small and medium enterprises.

They agreed to work together to create a transparent policymaking mechanism for digital economy and promote cooperation in drafting and implementing international standards.

Sun Pishu, chairman and CEO of Inspur Group Co Ltd, a major server maker and big data company, said the Belt and Road Initiative is not only about connecting ports, railways and highways but freeing up the flow of information and data, to enhance digital links among the economies.

"China is one of the most sophisticated IT markets and the largest data producer in the world," Sun said. "Our four decades of experience in building information infrastructure is of great value to other developing countries and regions."

In November, Inspur formed an alliance with global tech giants and Chinese financial institutions to provide IT solutions to economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

 

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China counting down to 5G commercialization

2017-12-07 15:09 Xinhua Editor: Mo Hong'e

Downloading a 6-gigabyte file in less than two seconds using 5G technology is not a far stretch, as China is preparing for the commercialization of the next generation of mobile communication technology.

During the Fourth World Internet Conference held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, this week, Huawei shared the honors with other tech giants such as Apple, Alibaba, Baidu and Microsoft at the World Leading Internet Scientific and Technological Achievement awards.

Huawei will launch a smartphone which supports 5G communication in 2019 with a self-developed chip, according to Xu Zhijun, rotating CEO of the company.

Currently, 5G standards are still under development by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Last October, Huawei achieved a speed of 27Gbps in 5G field tests using polar codes for channel coding. Huawei's polar coding was approved as part of the global standards for 5G.

As well as Chinese high-tech companies, its telecom operators are also eager to participate in formulating 5G global standards and promote commercialization.

Bi Qi, chief technical officer at the China Telecom Research Institute, said Chinese telecom carriers have invested heavily in 5G, carrying out tests in several major cities.

China Mobile, the world's largest telecom carrier by subscribers, has been devoted to developing 5G technology, and plans to launch a fully commercialized 5G network in 2020. ( The company will also begin a pre-commercial 5G service next year and deploy more than 10,000 5G base stations by 2020, according to Sha Yuejia, vice president of China Mobile.

The world's largest 5G test field with about 30 telecom base stations has already been established in Beijing's Huairou District. China Mobile, Huawei, ZTE as well as a number of foreign companies have completed China's second phase of 5G testing.

China is expected to be the world's largest 5G market by 2025, according to a report by GSMA Intelligence, a global mobile think tank, and China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).

The CAICT predicted that 5G will drive 6.3 trillion yuan (946.8 billion U.S. dollars) of economic output in China by 2030.

Wen Ku, director of the telecom development department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China has started its third phase of 5G technical tests, and will increase efforts on network planning, systems, chips and other products to get pre-commercial 5G service ready as soon as possible.

Global telecom carriers will invest 3.3 trillion yuan in mobile infrastructure by 2020, said John Hoffman, CEO and director of GSMA, adding that up to 500 billion yuan will come from China.

According to a Qualcomm report, the emerging 5G mobile communications technology is expected to generate 3.5 trillion U.S. dollars of output and 22 million jobs in the global telecom industry by 2035.

http://www.ecns.cn/2017/12-07/283595.shtml