Pan Gang (9th from left), chairman of Yili and Ke Ruiwen (10th from left), chairman of China Telecom, attend a signing ceremony for strategic cooperation between the two parties. [Photo/Yili Group]

Yili Group, China's largest dairy company, signed a strategic agreement with network operator China Telecom in Beijing on June 14.

Pan Gang, chairman of Yili, and Ke Ruiwen, chairman of China Telecom, attended the signing event.

According to the agreement, Yili will connect its ranches, production centers, retail stores, and research institutions via the 5G service offered by China Telecom, aiming to lead dairy companies across the country in the building of a 5G dairy platform.  

Yili has had a close relationship with China Telecom for years. In 2001, the company adopted China Telecom's management solution for retail stores.

With the help of 5G commercial services, Yili plans to inject new vitality into its business operations.  

China granted licenses to four telecom carriers on June 6: China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Broadcasting Network Corp. This marked the official start of China's 5G era. It also represented a strong push by China to apply 5G, as its previous plan was to commercialize the technology in 2020.