China IoT fair kicks off in Xiamen

The 5th China International IoT Fair (IoTF) opened in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on July 11, according to local media.

Huawei Technologies Co, Alibaba Group, Tencent Holdings Ltd and many other heavyweight companies in the industry showed off their new products and technologies in the realms of 5G, artificial intelligence, new materials and high-end equipment.

During the three-day fair, a series of forums, roadshows and new product releases focusing on new technologies, applications and products relating to 5G and AioT (the internet of things powered by artificial intelligence) will be carried out.

China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, three telecom carriers who have been granted 5G commercial licenses by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, also participated in the fair.

They showcased the latest 5G, NB-IoT network, equipment connection management, IoT business, video development capacity and other IoT infrastructure facilities.

China is set to become the world's largest 5G market by 2025, with 460 million users according to a forecast by industry group Global System for Mobile Communications Association.

The IoT industry in Xiamen has been developing rapidly in recent years. There are more than 500 IoT enterprises in the city. In 2018, the total output value of the industry reached 49.2 billion yuan ($7.16 billion).

In addition, Xiamen is among the first cities to begin offering 5G services this year.