Lessons from China’s low-altitude economy

China has seen rapid growth in its low-altitude economy. Its experience offers important lessons and fresh insights on how telcos can better position themselves to enable and accelerate the future of this emerging sector.

Introduction

‘Low-altitude economy’ refers to a comprehensive economic system centred on manned and unmanned aerial vehicles operating typically below 1,000 meters (and not exceeding 3,000 meters), along with the diverse services they enable.

In February 2021, the term low-altitude economy was officially incorporated into China’s ‘National Comprehensive Three-dimensional Transportation Network Planning’, signifying its formal recognition within China’s national policy framework and planning agenda. Driven by supportive policies, a surge of companies making unmanned aircraft emerged, and the low-altitude economy has since experienced rapid expansion and diversification.

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As one of the leading low-altitude service providers, China Telecom has introduced its Fly-as-a-Service (FaaS) platform to deliver integrated air–ground connectivity. Shenzhen is China’s hub for low-altitude economy development and is home to over 1,900 enterprises across the industry value chain.

This report provides a comprehensive overview of China’s emerging low-altitude economy, examining its policy milestones, key industry players, and the critical components that make up its value chain. It also highlights the sector’s primary areas of focus, major market drivers, and the challenges and constraints that may shape the market development.

Table of contents

• Executive summay
• Overview of the low-altitude economy
• Market landscape
• Case study: China Telecom
• Conclusion and recommendations

Related reseach

• 5G: The next phase
• Skywatch: STL Partners’ satellite tracker
• China Mobile – Autonomous networks case study

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