China has granted Geely-affiliated space company GeeSpace approval for the country’s first commercial trial of private satellite Internet of Things services. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology gave Zhejiang GeeSpace Technology a two-year trial period, enabling it to provide low-power, wide-area connectivity for sectors including smart transport, marine fisheries, energy and water infrastructure. The ministry called satellite IoT an important complement to broadband satellite services and said the trial could spur more private participation.

China’s robot industry is moving beyond flashy demonstrations and into a commercialisation phase marked by large-scale deployment at industrial sites. At this year’s World Robot Conference in Beijing, usability and profitability emerged as central themes. Morgan Stanley estimates China accounted for 97% of global humanoid robot shipments in the first half. But manufacturers still face pressure to prove reliability, autonomy and economic value, while profitability and product maturity remain unresolved.