PRESS RELEASE: Low-altitude economy (LAE) is a global strategic emerging industry, involving multiple scenarios such as low-altitude logistics, aviation tourism, low-altitude transportation, and emergency rescue within low-altitude airspace. China has promoted the development of LAE, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the production value of the low-altitude industry in China reached US$70 billion in 2023, and the figure is expected to reach US$200 billion in 2025.
China Mobile cooperates with GODO, AutoFlight, and other partners to jointly create the world’s leading demonstration benchmark for low-altitude applications. Multiple low-altitude applications, such as low-altitude transportation and city travel, low-altitude logistics & Delivery, low-altitude tourism and sightseeing, and low-altitude emergency rescue oriented to individuals, industries, and society have been put into commercial use.
Low-altitude transportation & city travel to usher in a new era featuring the “taxi by air”: The urban air mobility (UAM) meets the communications requirements of customers between urban areas and cities and implements secure air traffic scheduling and information transmission, improving smart travel experience. Take the practice of AutoFlight as an example. In February 2024, thanks to its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft equipped with an airborne mobile 5G communications terminal, the route between Shenzhen to Zhuhai has shortened the driving time from three hours to 20 minutes.
Low-altitude logistics & delivery to build a logistics circle for “15-min delivery within 3 km”: China Mobile has cooperated with partners to build a low-altitude UAV instant distribution network to meet emergency requirements of more 2B industry users, improving service experience and facilitating intelligent city construction. It is estimated that the scale of UAV market in China can reach US$22 billion in 2024, of which US$4billion is related to express delivery. The figure indicates that the low-altitude logistics industry has come to its ramp-up phase.
Low-altitude emergency rescue, the efficient “lifeline” by air: When it comes to the social emergency and emergency medical rescue scenarios, UAVs can deliver first aid medicines or blood samples within 10 minutes, significantly improving rescue efficiency.
The cooperation between China Mobile and industry partners such as GODO and AutoFlight not only promotes the rapid development of LAE in China, but also provides new ideas and models for global LAE innovation and cooperation. With the support of policies and the joint efforts of industry partners, the future of LAE is full of infinite possibilities.