China Unicom, NetDragon Partner to Enable Smart Education

NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited, a global enabler in building internet communities, has announced that NetDragon, China United Network Communications Limited ("China Unicom") and National Engineering Research Center for E-Learning and National Engineering Laboratory For Educational Big Data reached a strategic cooperation agreement on the establishment of a smart education joint venture – Yunqi Smart Education Technology Company Limited ("Yunqi Smart").

The joint venture will integrate the advantages of all parties, and will take charge of innovation construction and product development. It aims to provide education informatization products and services to G-end, B-end and C-end users across the country, thus fostering education informatization 2.0 and achieving education modernization.

Yunqi Smart is a mixed-ownership internet technology company specialized in smart education business under China Unicom. The joint venture will focus on the education industry, based on China Unicom's communication and innovation capabilities in 5G, big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things and blockchain, NetDragon's artificial intelligence, VR/AR, 3D platforms, education informatization-related software and hardware capabilities, and also the practice of education informatization by National Engineering Research Center for E-Learning and National Engineering Laboratory For Educational Big Data. It will provide products and solution services for actual use cases to target customers as well as an ecosystem for the industry. In particular, the joint venture will offer education products and related services through self-development or partnerships, such as regional education management platforms and cloud classrooms, aid the construction of "smart education demonstration zone", and establish sustainable business models, with the goal to be the leading company of education informatization.

China Unicom's Senior Vice President Liang Baojun said, "Yunqi Smart is another important achievement of China Unicom's comprehensive digital transformation. It is a mixed-ownership internet technology company jointly developed by China Unicom and its partners under strategic cooperation in the field of smart education. Yunqi Smart will rely on the resources of China Unicom in the fields including 5G, cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, combined with the authority and scientific research capabilities of the two national research institutions, and will leverage NetDragon's strength and brand influence in the field of smart education, to provide customers with product, services and comprehensive solutions across the full value chain of educational informatization."

NetDragon's Founder and Chairman Liu Dejian commented, "NetDragon has always been committed to providing customers with the best education technologies. With the advent of the 5G era, we expect this cooperation to achieve new breakthroughs with respect to innovation and R&D of education informatization products and services." He continued, "China Unicom not only has clear channel advantages that can reach G-end, B-end and C-end customers on a large scale, its internet technology is also at the cutting-edge level, with country leading cloud computing platform, big data platform and Internet of Things platform, whereas the two major national research institutions have authoritative advantages in research and development of educational informatization, personnel training and exploration and practice. This collaboration among strong hands in the field of education will ensure breakthroughs in terms of innovation and development of education informatization products and services."

National Engineering Research Center for E-Learning and National Engineering Laboratory For Educational Big Data's Executive Deputy Director Dr. Liu Sanya said, "The country has always attached great importance to education informatization. The National Engineering Research Center for E-Learning and National Engineering Laboratory For Educational Big Data are excited to partner with two companies with top technologies in China Unicom and NetDragon, and look forward to the joint venture's ability to elevate education informatization from concept to practice to a higher level."

In recent years, education informatization has received great attention throughout the country. The authorities said that "building a strong education nation is the fundamental construction of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and education must be prioritized.", The Ministry of Education published the "Action Plan for Education Informatization 2.0" in 2018, proposing to promote "deep integration of information technology and smart technology into the full process of education, while fostering improved teaching, optimizing management, and improving performance."

The newly established joint venture's headquarter will be located in Wuhan. Wuhan is a pilot city of large-scale application of the national education resources and public services platform, based on the construction of "Three Links and Two Platforms" and the goal to promote education equality and improve education quality, which are helpful for the construction of the national "smart education demonstration zone".