(Yicai) Sept. 17 -- China will expand applications of its homegrown global satellite navigation system, which supports autonomous driving, smart agriculture and faster emergency response, as the country aims to grow the industry to more than CNY1 trillion (USD149.1 billion) within five years.

China will strengthen the integration of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) with artificial intelligence and satellite internet technologies, continue upgrading the system, and promote the healthy and orderly development of the industry, Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing said at the Fifth International Summit on BDS Applications.

BDS, China's answer to the US Global Positioning System (GPS), provides satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing services. It is increasingly being integrated with fifth-generation mobile networks, AI, the Internet of Things, digital twins, autonomous driving and low-altitude technologies, expanding its applications in transportation, urban governance, emergency rescue, energy security, agriculture, the low-altitude economy, marine activities and public services.

China's National Development and Reform Commission said at the beginning of this year that the country aims to expand the BeiDou industry to more than CNY1 trillion within five years.

Driving that expansion is China Time and Space Information Group, the state-owned operator of BeiDou services established in 2024. It is tasked with expanding BeiDou applications and commercializing space and aerial information. The company is jointly held by three state-owned companies: satellite network operator China Satellite Network Group, defense contractor China North Industries Group, and wireless carrier China Mobile Communications Group.

China Time and Space has helped achieve breakthroughs in the large-scale application of BeiDou, China Satellite Network Chairman Gou Ping said. The number of public users with access to BeiDou messaging services has risen to 450 million, while more than 40 million smartphones support the function.

China Time and Space will deepen integration with AI to build secure and reliable space-time big data services, Gou said. It will also pursue opportunities in the low-altitude economy and unmanned equipment, offering customized solutions to support industries' digital transformation.

The International Summit on BDS Applications is China's highest-level international industry event for BeiDou. This year's two-day summit was held in Zhuzhou, central China, where 41 industry-university-research cooperation projects were signed, involving a total investment of CNY5.5 billion (USD825 million).

Editor: Emmi Laine