Ahead of its post-MWC sharing event in Beijing, the GSMA revealed that AI and mobile technologies are expected to contribute $2 trillion (approximately £1.58 trillion) to China’s economy by 2030 — roughly 8.3% of the nation’s GDP.
Published in the Mobile Economy China 2025 report, the findings emphasize the central role of 5G in boosting growth. The manufacturing sector alone is forecast to account for around 40% of this economic impact, driven by widespread adoption of 5G, IoT and AI.
These insights arrive as global attention turns to MWC25 Shanghai (18–20 June), where discussions will focus on AI, 5G and the Internet of Things. Following the success of MWC25 Barcelona, the Shanghai event aims to highlight China’s leadership in embedding advanced technologies across industries.
5G and AI: Catalysts for digital and economic transformation
At a media briefing, GSMA leaders — including Director General Vivek Badrinath, CMO Lara Dewar and CEO GSMA Ltd John Hoffman — noted China’s fast uptake of 5G, which now accounts for more than half of the country’s mobile connections.
Operators are increasingly integrating AI into enterprise solutions, using 5G Standalone (SA) and 5G-Advanced networks to deliver tailored innovations for different sectors.
“China continues to show how advanced 5G services, mobile innovation, AI and digital services can create tangible economic value,” said Badrinath. “With AI integration, Chinese operators are placing intelligence at the core of industry solutions.”
The GSMA delegation also met with major Chinese tech companies such as Bytedance, iFlytek, JD.com, Lenovo and Xiaomi to explore cross-industry collaboration. Additionally, Dewar led the GSMA’s Women for Tech initiative, hosting a networking dinner in Beijing on 8 April to support gender diversity in the sector.
Key findings from the report include:
- In 2024, mobile technologies generated $1.2 trillion (about £950 billion) in economic value, equal to 6.2% of China’s GDP.
- Mobile internet users are projected to grow from 1.17 billion in 2024 to 1.22 billion by 2030, raising penetration from 80% to 84%.
- Average monthly mobile data traffic per connection is expected to quadruple by 2030, approaching 70GB.
- Manufacturing — an early adopter of 5G, IoT and AI — will drive nearly half of the forecasted economic gains.
All 14 Greater China operators have adopted the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, which standardizes APIs to improve connectivity and interoperability. China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom recently completed cross-network integration of 5G Quality on Demand (QoD) and are planning to introduce anti-fraud APIs.
GSMA to bring global tech players together in China
MWC25 Shanghai will focus on four main themes: 5G Inside, AI+, Connected Industries and Connected Enablers. Sessions will cover AI’s role in telecoms, strategies for 5G monetization and sustainability, and will host the first GSMA Policy Leaders Forum — an invitation-only summit addressing regulatory challenges tied to digital transformation.
New for 2025, the IoT showcase (IOTE) will be co-located in Hall N5 and will highlight developments in RFID, edge computing and IoT platforms.
Sihan Bo Chen, Head of Greater China at the GSMA, said: “As we prepare for MWC Shanghai, we will bring together top tech players from China and around the world to connect, collaborate and demonstrate how their innovations in 5G and AI are shaping the future of the global tech industry.”
(Photo by Li Yang)
See also: Samsung and KT partner to counter 6G signal quality challenges
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