Huawei: AI, cloud and 5G to overhaul the sector
The rise of 5G together with cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionise technology, create new business opportunities and change society, says Huawei, a leading global technology firm.
“ICT will be empowered by 5G and trigger many changes in technology and business,” Ken Hu, rotating chairman of Huawei, said at the Mobile Broadband Forum in London.
Some 154 carriers in 66 countries are actively testing 5G technology, including field tests. According to the GSM Association (GSMA), the trade body of mobile operators, there will be 5G deployments in 110 markets by 2025.
Commercial deployment is changing, and large-scale shipments have begun.
“Huawei has already shipped more than 10,000 5G base stations to Europe, the Middle East and Korea,” Mr Hu said.
He identified five revolutionary changes expected from 5G.
With 5G, online connectivity will become a platform. Everything will be online and stay online by default. There will be an estimated 40 billion smart devices by 2025.
“This is a big trend,” Mr Hu said. “In the future, it will be difficult to not be online.”
He also sees the world embracing cloud technology. This will make intelligence on demand available for everyone, everywhere. New business models like Cloud X, in which devices are boosted by cloudbased resources, will begin to emerge.
Soon will come more Cloud X applications such as the Cloud PC Workstation, cloud gaming and cloud VR/AR. Companies like Microsoft, Ubisoft and EA are already working on these.
Devices will be redefined to be smarter and able to understand and predict users’ needs, and interact with users more naturally. With AI support across devices, networks and the cloud, devices will go from plug-and-play to “plug-and-think”.
In the future, the hardware and software of devices will be more structured and modular.
“We can add new capabilities to anything, like connectivity, sight, hearing, touch, language, perception and even cognition,” Mr Hu said.
He also sees the online user experience and content and services flowing seamlessly through time, place and device for holistic experiences across all scenarios.
Mr Hu said 5G is ready to use because the standards are set and field test results are solid. Chipsets, devices, network equipment and end-to-end solutions are in place. In South Korea and Britain, commercial deployment has already started.
“Technology for 5G has become more affordable than before, and device chipsets will be available by mid-2019,” he said.
BROADBAND TO HOME
Wireless to the x (WTTx) is an advanced wireless home broadband technology also known as fixed wireless access for which 5G can be deployed.
There are 230 WTTx networks around the world that use 4G technology to connect more than 7.5 million homes. The business model is mature and ready for the upgrade to 5G.
Mr Hu said 5G deployment has barriers. Specifically, mobile operators lack spectrum resources. Governments can accelerate allocation frequency and release bands of large-bandwidth 5G spectrum, and at a lower total cost than for 4G.
In addition to C-band, all bands can and will be used for 5G, including 2.3GHz and 2.6GHz.
Deploying networks is an expensive business. Site rental accounts for 60-80% of the total cost of network deployment. Governments can open up more public resources such as rooftops for site deployment and allow carriers to share the infrastructure of other public utilities to help cut costs and speed up deployment.
“Society will see important contributions from 5G,” Mr Hu said.
$3.6 TRILLION IN VALUE
Mats Granryd, director-general of the GSMA, said by 2025 there will be at least 1.3 billion 5G connections worldwide, reaching 40% of the global population.
The technology will create US$3.6 trillion (119 trillion baht) in economic value, accounting for 4.5% of global GDP, creating 29 million jobs and $500 billion in public funding investment.
The biggest changes in the mobile industry are 5G and AI.
A combination of these two technologies will lead to more intelligent connectivity and enhance immersive user experience with virtual digital assistants and social goods, such as by using big data to track the pattern of malaria movement and for vertical industries solutions.
The regulator can help make affordable 5G investment through spectrum allocation, a fair playing field and privacy and data protection policies.
MOBILE TRANSFORMATION
Guiqing Liu, executive vice-president of China Telecom Corp, said 5G enables the digital economy and new business opportunities for digital life, homes and industry.
For China Telecom, 5G is an important growth engine. Having combined 5G with AI, mobile operators can transform, leading to smart networks and service platforms and new data package price schemes through the use of network-slicing capabilities to prioritise users.
A challenge for 5G is that it has no killer app, lacks a clear business model and has high capital and operating expenses for the network, Mr Liu said.
The ultra-reliable and low-latency networks are a new service category for 5G to accommodate emerging services such as factory automation, autonomous driving and remote surgery, but the standard is immature, he said.