fictionpage Chapter 110 The Storm of Public Opinion
Chapter 110 The Storm of Public Opinion
The matter began to escalate on the very night Su Chen flew back to Shenzhen from Chengdu.
The news was first broken by an industry WeChat public account called "Low Altitude Observation," which ranks among the top three in readership within the drone industry. The article's title was simple and direct: "Hongyuan's Su Chen personally visited Hangxindatong to discuss LDCL licensing, and it is rumored that the meeting ended on bad terms."
The article didn't offer much concrete evidence; it was mostly based on photos of Su Chen entering and leaving the Chengdu High-tech Zone Science Park and speculation from anonymous sources. But within the small circle of drone enthusiasts, it was enough to ignite a heated discussion.
Because everyone knows what LDCL is—a communication protocol that is touted as a "national mandatory standard" but is collectively ignored by the entire industry.
That evening, Su Chen's phone was bombarded with calls from various media outlets.
Zhou Ming helped him turn down most of the interview requests, but there was one invitation that Su Chen did not refuse—an email from the organizers of the Low Altitude Economy Industry Summit.
The summit was originally scheduled to be held in Shenzhen three days later, and Su Chen was already on the list of invited guests. However, the organizers added a roundtable discussion at the last minute, with the theme of "Standardization of Low-Altitude Communications: Current Status and Future," and invited Su Chen to speak as one of the roundtable guests.
Su Chen looked at the email and pondered for a few seconds.
Then he replied with a single word: Okay.
……
Three days later, on May 6, 2020.
Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, Low-Altitude Economy Industry Summit.
The venue was packed with professionals from the drone, communications, chip, and investment sectors, numbering around four hundred. While this isn't a large scale for an industry summit, it carries significant weight—it encompasses almost all the core players in China's low-altitude economy industrial chain.
Su Chen sat in the center of the round table, flanked by several executives from communication chip companies and an expert from a research institution under the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
After the host started the event, as is customary, each guest gave a brief self-introduction and stated their views.
When it was Su Chen's turn, he neither took his speech notes nor looked at the teleprompter in front of him.
He simply brought the microphone closer and then spoke in a calm, almost indifferent tone.
Regarding the standardization of low-altitude communications, I only want to state one fact.
The whole place fell silent.
"It's been over seven months since the LDCL standard was issued. In those seven months, Hangxindatong has issued basic production licenses to 16 companies. But you can all check—of these 16 companies, how many have actually integrated the LDCL protocol into their mass-produced products?"
He paused for two seconds, his gaze sweeping across the venue.
The answer is zero.
A murmur arose from the audience.
"Sixteen authorized companies, seven months, zero product launches. This isn't because the companies didn't want to do it, but because they couldn't afford it."
Su Chen's voice wasn't loud, but amplified by the microphone, every word was clearly transmitted to every corner of the venue.
"I personally visited the headquarters of Hangxindatong a few days ago. Guess what price they quoted for a source code-level license to Hongyuan?"
He raised one hand, slowly spreading his five fingers, and then added one finger from his other hand.
"Sixty million. A base licensing fee of sixty million, plus 15% of the ex-factory price of the communication module for each device as a patent licensing fee."
Several gasps of surprise rippled through the hall.
"I thought I misheard, so I asked again. The other person confirmed that it was indeed that number."
A bitter smile appeared on Su Chen's lips, but there was no warmth in that smile.
"Later, I compromised and said I didn't want a source code license anymore, just a basic production license—that is, enough to get our product certified to LDCL compliance. Guess their quote?"
"Forty million."
A low gasp escaped from someone in the audience.
"A basic production license, without any source code modifications, costs forty million."
Su Chen shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"I'm not here to complain. Hongyuan can afford 40 million. But the problem isn't whether Hongyuan can afford it, but that this pricing logic will lead the entire industry astray."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening.
"Those of you here should know better than I do that the value of a communications standard doesn't depend on how many official seals it has, but on how many devices are actually using it. What is LDCL's current situation? It's an empty shell standard that has obtained national standard certification but doesn't even have a single mass-produced device."
"And there's only one reason for this situation—the pricing strategy of the standard holders has kept all potential ecosystem participants out."
The venue was so quiet that you could hear the air conditioning running.
"What worries me even more is that the management of the LDCL standard holder told me that they believe 'the market still needs a nurturing period.'"
Su Chen let out a short laugh.
"The incubation period. They haven't even planted the seeds; they're just sitting in the field waiting for the harvest. I don't know what kind of agricultural theory this is, but in the business world, this practice has only one name—"
He paused for a second.
"Digging their own grave."
A round of applause erupted from the audience.
This wasn't just a formality; it was heartfelt. Many of those present had suffered from the LDCL issue, and Su Chen's words expressed what they had been holding back for over half a year.
The host tried to steer the conversation back into the pre-set framework, but Su Chen hadn't finished speaking yet.
"Finally, let me say this: Hongyuan will not stop because of the arrogance of one company. We will continue on the path of low-altitude communication, regardless of whether LDCL cooperates. As for how we will proceed—"
He picked up the water glass in front of him, took a sip, and then casually tossed out a comment.
"You'll see soon enough."
The applause rang out again, this time even louder than before.
……
Su Chen's speech at the summit was edited into a short video and spread throughout the drone industry's social circles that afternoon.
"Sixty million!" "Forty million!" "None of our products hit the market!" "Digging our own grave!"
These keywords spread like a virus on Weibo, WeChat groups, industry forums, and Zhihu.
In the evening, several leading tech media outlets also joined the reporting effort.
Hongyuan's Su Chen slams LDCL pricing: 16 licensed companies have zero products; the standard holder is digging its own grave.
LDCL Licensing Fees Revealed: Basic Licensing Starts at 40 Million Yuan, Industry Collectively Says It's Expensive
Su Chen's speech at the summit caused a stir: Where is the standardization of low-altitude communications headed?
The comments section overwhelmingly supported Su Chen.
"Finally, someone dares to tell the truth! LDCL's licensing fee is simply a dream!"
"Hangxindatong is truly bizarre; they hold the national standard but are pushing the entire industry to its limits."
"President Su is right. You can't expect to harvest crops without planting the seeds in the ground; there's no such thing as a free lunch."
"Support Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.! Looking forward to H-Link!"
There were also a few dissenting voices, mainly from practitioners with academic backgrounds: "The technical content of LDCL has been seriously underestimated; the six years of research and development were not wasted." But these voices were quickly drowned out by the overwhelming wave of criticism.
The flames of public opinion burned for four whole days.
During those four days, Hangxindatong did not utter a single word.
There was no statement, no response, and no refutation of the rumors.
They sank to the bottom of the water like a stone, leaving the waves surging above.
……
Chengdu, the headquarters of Hangxindatong.
He Zhiqiang sat in his office, which was less than 20 square meters, and slammed a stack of printed online comments on the floor.
"This Su Chen is going too far!"
His face was flushed red, and his eyes behind his glasses were bloodshot.
He had barely slept for the past four days. He received three phone calls from leaders at Beihang University's School of Electronic Engineering, each time with a sterner tone. Although no punishment was explicitly stated, the unspoken message of "you've disgraced the school" made He Zhiqiang extremely uneasy.
He used a lot of connections to suppress the situation, but his resentment only grew deeper.
"No matter how much money Su Chen offers, Hangxindatong will never authorize Hongyuan Intelligent."
He Zhiqiang gritted his teeth and said those words as if he were making a solemn vow to himself.
He didn't believe Su Chen could bypass Hangxindatong. All of LDCL's core patents were in their hands; no matter how capable Su Chen was, he couldn't conjure up a single authorization certificate.
At least, that's what he thinks.
……
Shenzhen, Nanshan District.
An internal analysis meeting is underway in a conference room at DJI's headquarters.
Seated at the head of the conference table was a man in his early forties, Chen Jiaming, head of DJI's corporate strategy department. On the projection screen in front of him, the full video of Su Chen's speech at the summit was playing.
After the video finished playing, Chen Jiaming took off his glasses, wiped them, and then looked around at his colleagues at the conference table.
What do you all think?
A young analyst spoke first: "Su Chen's public attack on Hangxindatong, ostensibly criticizing LDCL's pricing strategy, is actually building momentum for Hongyuan's next move. His statement, 'Regardless of LDCL's cooperation, Hongyuan will continue,' carries a lot of weight."
"you mean?"
"Hongyuan likely already has a solution to bypass LDCL. Otherwise, Su Chen wouldn't have said that in public; it would be tantamount to telling Hangxindatong in advance, 'I won't buy from you.' For a businessman to say something like that before negotiations are even over, there's only one possibility—he's already found an alternative."
Chen Jiaming nodded slightly, his face showing no obvious emotional fluctuation.
"The LDCL issue is actually good news for us," another senior analyst chimed in. "If Hongyuan gets stuck with LDCL, H-Link's development schedule will be disrupted. Our FlightCore communication module currently uses OcuSync, so we don't need to worry about LDCL compliance in the short term—at least not until the policy really tightens."
Chen Jiaming was silent for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Don't underestimate Su Chen."
The meeting room fell silent.
"This guy went from F1 to the Flying Bird platform, and he always found a way out of every obstacle. LDCL can't stop him for long." Chen Jiaming's tone was emotionless, like stating a physical law. "What we should really be concerned about isn't how long Hangxindatong can hold off Hongyuan, but what Hongyuan will do after bypassing LDCL."
"So what should we do now?" the young analyst asked.
"Accelerate the promotion of FlightCore." Chen Jiaming stood up and walked to the window. "Every day Hongyuan is held back by LDCL is a window of opportunity for us to grab customers. Have the marketing department optimize the FlightCore cooperation plan again, focusing on Hongyuan's existing 300-plus customers on the Flying Bird platform—some of those customers are definitely observing the communication solutions of both companies."
"Now is the perfect time to bring them over."
At this point, Chen Jiaming turned around and looked at the frozen image of Su Chen on the projection screen.
That face was etched with aggressive confidence.
Chen Jiaming withdrew his gaze, secretly calculating in his mind. DJI's foundation in the communications field was far beyond what Hongyuan could match, but Su Chen always managed to find a breakthrough in the most unexpected places.
This contest over low-altitude communications has only just begun.
……
On the same day that DJI was internally discussing countermeasures, another piece of news quietly circulated in industry circles.
Huawei's Consumer Business Group (CBD) revealed at an internal meeting that it will establish a "Low-Altitude Intelligent Connectivity Business Unit" in the second half of the year, specializing in drone communication chips and low-altitude network connectivity technology.
Although this news has not been officially confirmed, the source is highly reliable—several chip design companies that have deep cooperation with Huawei have heard similar statements from different channels.
Huawei is coming.
This news was like a depth charge, sending ripples through the entire drone communications field.
If DJI's entry into the flight control platform market put pressure on Hongyuan, then Huawei's entry into the low-altitude communication field sent chills down the spines of all players—including DJI.
Huawei's technological expertise in communication chips and protocol stacks is unmatched by any other drone company. Once Huawei officially enters the market, the competitive landscape of low-altitude communications will be completely rewritten.
When this news reached Su Chen's ears, he was sitting in the car on his way back to the Longhua headquarters, reviewing the research report on 16 LDCL authorized companies sent by Xu Lang.
After hearing Zhou Ming's relay of the news, Su Chen remained silent for a few seconds, then said softly:
"Time is running out."
Huawei's entry into the market means that the window of opportunity for low-altitude communication is rapidly shrinking. If Hongyuan cannot establish the H-Link framework before Huawei officially enters the market, it will only be able to play a supporting role in Huawei's ecosystem in the future.
Su Chen quickened his pace in reviewing the report, his gaze sweeping over the information of the 16 companies one by one.
Most of the companies are either too large to be worth acquiring, or their businesses are completely unrelated to Hongyuan, or their equity structures are too complex and the acquisition cycle is too long.
But one company caught his attention.
Hantong Microelectronics.
Registered in Chengdu, the company's main business is the research and development and manufacturing of industrial-grade wireless communication modules. Its core product is a short-range data link module used for power line inspection and pipeline monitoring. It obtained a basic LDCL production license in 2018, but has not launched any LDCL-related products since then.
The company is small, with fewer than fifty employees and annual revenue of about 13 million. For the past two years, it has been hovering on the verge of losses.
Most importantly, the company's founder had been seeking a complete transfer of ownership for six months due to health reasons.
Su Chen circled the message, then looked up at Zhou Ming and said:
"I'll ask Xu Lang to check on this company's situation tomorrow."