On 15 June 2026, the General Offices of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Transport (MOT), the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), the National Energy Administration (NEA), and the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) jointly announced the Notice on Launching the Pilot Program of Industrial 5G Standalone Private Network.

An industrial 5G standalone private network is a dedicated enterprise 5G network led by industrial enterprises in constructing access networks, core networks, and other key infrastructure. It can operate independently without relying on public networks, offering lower latency and enhanced data security as critical industrial data is processed and stored locally, without passing through telecom operators.

The pilot program targets large and extra-large enterprises in sectors such as raw materials, equipment manufacturing, consumer goods, electronics and information technology, national defence science and technology, and energy and transportation. Pilot cities already active in "5G + Industrial Internet" integrated applications are encouraged to take the lead.

The pilot program focuses on five dimensions:

• Deploying infrastructure including 5G base stations, core networks, and edge computing systems, with integration into time-sensitive networks (TSN) where needed;

• Innovating application scenarios by leveraging 5G-Advanced capabilities such as ultra-low latency, integrated sensing and communication, and high-precision positioning;

• Building management platforms for device management, performance monitoring, and fault diagnosis;

• Exploring collaboration models among industrial enterprises, basic telecom operators, equipment suppliers, and solution providers; and

• Strengthening security infrastructure with zero-trust architecture and commercial cryptography.

Applicants must be independent industrial enterprises registered in China with independent legal person status, or a consortium composed of industrial enterprises, basic telecom operators, equipment suppliers, and solution providers. The pilot period is two years, with a progress report due after one year and a final summary report upon completion. Pilot entities must obtain regulatory approval and radio-frequency usage permits before deployment.

Outcome generated from this pilot program will inform the standalone private network standards system, support the development of conformity assessment mechanisms, and feed into typical case publications for scaled application across industries.

For foreign stakeholders, the pilot signals China's push to cultivate a domestic industrial ecosystem around private 5G networks. Companies with relevant equipment, solutions, or partnership interests in the targeted sectors should monitor developments and standardization progress, and assess opportunities to participate through consortium arrangements.

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