During MWC 2024, Huawei strongly addressed 5.5G and discussed how this technology can “unlock the potential of networks and create new growth opportunities.”
Li Peng, senior corporate vice president and president of ICT sales and services at Huawei, explained: “5G is on the right path to business success. 5G began commercialization in 2019, and in the past five years, it has already earned 1.5 billion of users worldwide. 4G took nine years to achieve. Currently, 20% of global mobile subscribers use 5G. These users generate 30% of all mobile traffic and contribute to 40% of mobile service revenue. “5.5G will enter commercial use in 2024, and as 5.5G, AI and the cloud converge, operators can unlock the potential of new applications and capabilities.”
The new capabilities of 5.5G, including deterministic latency, precise positioning and passive IoT, are expected to create even more opportunities for operators in the B2B market. Huawei stated that it has already helped operators initiate commercial 5.5G verification and testing in more than 20 cities around the world, and its goal is to help build ubiquitous networks that can lead us to a “smart world” faster.
AI everywhere
As expected, AI was a major focus during Huawei's presentations. Huawei Cloud demonstrated its potential suitability as the “preferred infrastructure for AI applications” by introducing ten AI-oriented innovations, including KooVerse, QingTian distributed architecture, AI computing, AI native storage, E2E security, GaussDB, convergence data-AI, media. infrastructure, landing zone and flexible deployment.
The company also discussed how AI-powered content is driving an increase in new data traffic. Looking ahead, Huawei predicts that in 2026 alone, “AI will be used to produce more than 250 billion images and 70 million videos, completely redefining the world's approach to content creation.” To put this in context, the company says AIGC will drive the creation of more than 100 billion gigabytes of data and generate more than one trillion gigabytes of data traffic, of which 5.5G will need to take a significant part.
“We are rapidly approaching an intelligent world,” Peng said. “As demands on networks have increased, 5.5G has become a key step on the path to the smart world. 5.5G is expected to enter commercial use in 2024. So let's build today's networks for today's applications of tomorrow to advance the smart world.”
