The number of Internet users in my country has reached 1.011 billion, and the Internet penetration rate has reached 71.6%.

According to the website of China Internet Network Information Center, on August 27, China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the 48th "Statistical Report on the Development of Internet in China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") in Beijing. The "Report" shows that as of June 2021, the scale of Internet users in my country reached 1.011 billion, an increase of 21.75 million from December 2020, and the Internet penetration rate reached 71.6%. One billion users have access to the Internet, forming the world's largest and most vibrant digital society.

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The number of Internet users exceeds one billion

As of June 2021, the total number of Internet users in my country exceeded 1 billion. The huge scale of Internet users provides a strong endogenous driving force for promoting the high-quality development of my country's economy. First, the construction of Internet basic resources has been accelerated, laying a solid foundation for the growth of Internet users. As of June 2021, the number of IPv6 addresses in my country reached 62,023 blocks/32, an increase of 7.6% from the end of 2020. The total number of mobile phone base stations reached 9.48 million, a net increase of 170,000 from December 2020. Second, digital application basic services are becoming increasingly rich, driving more Internet users to use them. Internet and technology companies continue to sink into fourth- and fifth-tier cities and villages, driving the continuous improvement of logistics and digital service facilities in rural areas, and promoting the enrichment of digital application basic services in the fields of consumer circulation, life services, entertainment content, medical education, etc., bringing digital convenience to users. Third, the level of government services has been continuously improved, and user habits have been accelerated. During the epidemic, the National Integrated Government Service Platform launched more than 700 high-frequency service services such as returning to work, online recruitment, and online taxation, increasing the coordination of government information construction and continuously improving people's well-being.

The world's largest information and communication network has been established, and the foundation of new digital infrastructure has been continuously strengthened

First, my country has the world's largest information and communication network. As of April 2021, the proportion of fiber-optic broadband users in my country has increased to 94%, the end-to-end user experience speed of fixed broadband has reached 51.2Mbps, and the mobile network speed ranks fourth among 139 countries and regions in the world. Second, my country's 5G commercial development has achieved three major leaderships in scale, number of standards and application innovation. As of May 2021, the number of 5G standard essential patent declarations in my country accounted for more than 38%, ranking first in the world; there have been more than 9,000 5G application innovation cases, and 5G is rapidly integrating into thousands of industries and presenting thousands of forms, forming a systematic leading advantage. Third, the platform system of "comprehensive + characteristic + professional" of the industrial Internet has been basically formed. In recent years, my country's industrial Internet platform system has been basically formed, with more than 100 industrial Internet platforms with certain industry and regional influence, more than 70 million connected devices, more than 590,000 industrial APPs, and more than 1,500 "5G+Industrial Internet" projects under construction, covering more than 20 important industries in the national economy.

Digital rural construction continues to advance, and rural Internet penetration rate continues to increase

As of June 2021, the scale of rural Internet users in my country is 297 million, and the Internet penetration rate in rural areas is 59.2%, an increase of 3.3 percentage points from December 2020, and the Internet penetration rate in urban and rural areas has further narrowed to 19.1 percentage points. The communication infrastructure in rural areas has been gradually improved, which has promoted the gradual decline in the cost of using rural Internet. The proportion of administrative villages with fiber optic and 4G access has exceeded 99%, and rural and urban areas have "same network and same speed". The digital divide between urban and rural areas has been significantly narrowed, and it is expected that the number of administrative villages without broadband access will be dynamically cleared by the end of the year. As digital applications become more and more perfect, the vast sinking market has gradually enjoyed the convenience and benefits brought by digitalization. As of June 2021, the scale of online retail sales of agricultural products reached 208.82 billion yuan, and the coverage rate of express delivery outlets in townships across the country reached 98%, effectively opening up the terminal circulation of rural consumption upgrades and agricultural products upward.

Accessible services for special groups are further improved, and scientific and technological innovation achievements benefit all people

As of June 2021, the proportion of netizens aged 50 and above was 28.0%, an increase of 5.2 percentage points from June 2020. Since 2020, relevant departments have vigorously promoted the aging-friendly level of Internet applications and barrier-free popularization for special groups. The General Office of the State Council issued the "Implementation Plan on Effectively Solving the Difficulties of the Elderly in Using Intelligent Technology" and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Special Action Plan for the Adaptation of Internet Applications to the Aging and Accessibility", proposing to give priority to promoting 115 websites and 43 APPs for aging-friendly transformation, and strive to solve the difficulties encountered by the elderly and the disabled in the face of intelligent technology. At the same time, Internet companies and all sectors of society have responded positively to speed up the solution of problems such as the difficulty of the elderly to travel without health codes and the difficulty of seeking medical treatment without knowing how to operate. The aging-friendly functions of health codes have covered at least 30 million elderly people across the country. Technology and Internet companies have opened barrier-free functions for people with disabilities in applications such as maps and news, and promoted the benefits of scientific and technological innovation to the entire population.

Online food delivery is booming, and the industry ecosystem continues to improve

As of June 2021, the scale of online food delivery users in my country reached 469 million, an increase of 49.76 million from December 2020, with the most obvious growth rate among various survey applications. With the full recovery of my country's economic vitality and the further strengthening of supervision of the food delivery industry, the digitalization level of the food delivery industry has continued to improve, new consumption trends have emerged, and the industry coverage has become richer and more diverse. Since the epidemic, instant delivery services represented by fresh food and medicines have developed rapidly, and together with catering food delivery, they have helped benefit people's livelihood and stabilize the economy. With the retail consumption habits gradually developed by users during the epidemic, the proportion of various non-catering food delivery businesses is constantly expanding, and the coverage of the food delivery industry is constantly enriched. At the same time, the food delivery industry ecology and the protection of riders' rights and interests have also received widespread attention from the society. The industry's ecological environment continues to improve, promoting the healthy and long-term development of the food delivery industry.

The online office market is increasingly active, and service capabilities are constantly improving

As of June 2021, the scale of online office users in my country reached 381 million, an increase of 35.06 million from December 2020, and the usage rate of netizens was 37.7%. Online office segmented applications continued to develop, with the usage rates of online video/telephone conferencing and online document collaborative editing both at 23.8%. On the one hand, with the continuous advancement of enterprise digital transformation, flexible working modes represented by online office will continue to innovate and develop. On the other hand, with the continuous acceleration of the construction of new infrastructure represented by 5G, big data, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc., the service performance of online office services such as online meetings and document editing, such as response speed, storage capacity, and functional applicability, will continue to improve.

The scale of online medical users is growing rapidly, and medical and elderly care health services have become a new hot spot

As of June 2021, the scale of online medical users in my country reached 239 million, an increase of 24.53 million from December 2020, accounting for 23.7% of the total number of netizens. From Internet hospitals to clarifying that Internet consultations for patients with common diseases and chronic diseases can be reimbursed by medical insurance, from online drug sales to core diagnosis and treatment to Internet medical insurance, various regions have actively supported the comprehensive development of online medical care by issuing corresponding plans, laying a solid foundation for the growth of the scale of online medical users. As the size of my country's silver-haired population grows year by year, attention to elderly health services has become a key direction for various Internet platforms to enter the field of online medical care. In addition, intelligent elderly care continues to develop, and smart devices have become a new breakthrough in the development of this field.