China’s online education drive to boost demand for PCs, tablets, 5G and cloud services, says IDC
- Livestreams powered by next-generation 5G networks and cloud-based learning platforms are also expected to become more mainstream
PCs, tablets, 5G-powered live streams, and cloud platforms are all expected to see more demand from the education sector in China, with the coronavirus outbreak accelerating a digital shift, according to a report from research firm IDC China.
The hardware market, including tablets, smartphones and PCs, will see a surge in demand from schools and parents, to cover younger students and those from lower-tier cities and regions, according to the IDC report released on Monday.
Livestreams powered by next-generation 5G networks and cloud-based learning platforms are also expected to become more mainstream even as the pandemic gradually subsides, says IDC.
“The novel coronavirus pandemic was an important test of China’s education system – its deployment [of new tech] and responsiveness. It has resulted in more of a focus on smart hardware, software services, and online education,” said Su Hong, an IDC research manager specialising in the consumer market.
China’s Ministry of Education announced on January 27 it was postponing the start of the spring semester due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, posing a challenge to a sector which has 276 million students, including 189 million K12 students and 38.3 million college students according to data as of 2018.