An unmanned apron vehicle is parked at the cargo terminal of Hangzhou International Airport on March 13, 2025. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang province has unveiled a wide-ranging 2026 work plan for industrial data valorization and digital infrastructure, with targets including 60 provincial-level data firms and more than 310,000 5G base stations.

The plan, recently issued by the Department of Economy and Information Technology of Zhejiang Province, outlines a broad set of priorities spanning data market development, computing power, advanced communications networks, and emerging infrastructure.

To expand the data economy, Zhejiang will identify 10 leading and 50 growth-stage provincial data firms, along with 100 representative case studies. It also plans to support the development of specialized data annotation bases and attract high-growth companies in the segment.

The province will strengthen coordination of computing power by building a unified monitoring and dispatch platform and establishing a dynamic matching mechanism between supply and demand. It will also promote interconnection among computing platforms to improve the efficiency of resource sharing and allocation.

In network development, Zhejiang will accelerate the rollout of 5G-Advanced, expand industry-specific private networks, and push forward research and early-stage industrialization of 6G technologies. Optical networks will continue to upgrade toward 10-gigabit passive optical networks and above, with broader gigabit coverage and pilot applications of 10-gigabit services.

The plan also includes measures to develop low-altitude digital infrastructure, support satellite-based internet of things trials, expand BeiDou navigation applications, and improve network quality through stronger interconnection capacity and exploration of cross-regional and cross-border data circulation mechanisms.