David Wang: Huawei Advancing 5.5G and Shaping the Mobile AI Era

Kuala Lumpur, 09 July 2024 – Over the past five years, 5G has significantly impacted the global mobile industry, enhancing global services, increasing speeds, and driving digital transformation.

With the recent freeze of 3GPP Release-18 and the launch of 5.5G, the mobile industry is set for further advancements. Historical milestones like GSM in 1991 and 3G in 2007 have led to the mobile voice and Internet eras.

Now, 2024 heralds the commercial 5.5G era and the integration of AI, marking the onset of the mobile AI era. This era will feature multimodal human-computer interactions, AI-generated content, and the transformation of mobile devices into AI assistants. These developments will drive data growth, enhance Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and create new opportunities for the mobile industry.

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David Wang, Huawei’s Executive Director of the Board and Chairman of the ICT Infrastructure Managing Board, spoke at MWC Shanghai 2024 on “Advancing 5.5G and Shaping the Mobile AI Era.”

In the keynote, Wang said, “2024 marks the first year of commercial 5.5G and the integration of AI into a wider variety of devices. The mobile AI era is on the horizon, where intelligent services will be pervasive. So, we must work hard on both Networks for AI and AI for Networks to accelerate 5.5G development and maximize value of the mobile AI era.”

Huawei Advancing 5.5G

“5G is continuing to develop even faster today. The first standards release for 5G-Advanced – 3GPP Release-18 – was officially frozen on June 28, 2024 in Shanghai. More than 60 carriers and partners have also announced commercial 5.5G deployment. Commercial 5.5G terminals are now ready to face the world and 5.5G will continue to drive waves of digital development.

Over time, milestones in the development of wireless communications technologies have given rise to several great eras. In 1991, the emergence of GSM networks and widespread adoption of mobile phones kicked off the mobile voice era, and made calling at any time, and anywhere, a reality.

“In 2007, 3G and smartphones spearheaded the mobile Internet era, and made global information readily accessible. 2024 marks the first year of commercial 5.5G and the integration of AI into a wider variety of devices. The mobile AI era is on the horizon, where intelligent services will be pervasive. We will see three seismic changes in the mobile AI era,” he says.

Explaining his point, he says first, human-computer interaction will shift from being touch-based to multimodal. This means the ways we interact with computers will extend to natural language, gestures, and emotions, delivering on-demand, 24/7 experience.

Second, content generation will be revolutionized. Previously, people acquired information mainly through search engines. In the future, such information will be generated by AI. Information production will be no longer about prefabrication, but about customization, making comprehensive and tailored real-time services available.

Third, mobile devices will also undergo a transformation, as mobile devices transition from smartphones to AI terminal assistants and embodied AI. This means mobile devices will become portals to seamless AI.

These huge changes in the mobile AI era will revitalize society and create tremendous opportunities for the mobile industry, he adds.

Advancements in 5G

During the speech, he highlights the advancements in 5G and the emerging 5.5G era, emphasizing their impact on the global mobile industry and digital transformation. Intelligent driving systems will enhance safety and efficiency, while the Internet of Everything (IoE) will expand, introducing AI assistants and workers.

The mobile AI era will revolutionize human-computer interactions, content generation, and mobile devices. It will drive new opportunities and require collaboration across the industry.

Huawei is committed to accelerating 5.5G development and enhancing network capabilities to support AI, with a focus on improving network O&M efficiency. The MWC Shanghai 2024 will showcase Huawei’s latest innovations

Speaking on intelligent driving he says it will disrupt traditional driving systems. “Every month, 100 GB of driving data will be uploaded to train the intelligent driving system, making models, perception, and responses more accurate in dynamic driving environments. In addition, millisecond-level V2X will provide reliable and stable driving strategies in real time. All in all, intelligent connected vehicles will unleash the value of connectivity, not just for experiences, but also for time and safety. Connectivity will shine through intelligent connected vehicles,” he says.

The boundaries of the Internet of Everything (IoE) will be also greatly expanded in the mobile AI era. “As machines are more able to think and move around like humans, network connections will expand from humans to silicon-based digital humans, which will create 10 billion new connected AI assistants and workers.

“For individuals, everyone will have an AI assistant in the future that runs on their smartphones, glasses, and AI devices. AI assistants will move beyond just being tools and become our companions, responding to requirements in all scenarios like work, play, and learning in real-time,” he concludes.

“I believe, over the next decade, we will fully embrace mobile AI. The intelligent world is fast approaching, and 5.5G will serve as a cornerstone of future development. As always, Huawei will remain committed to working with all industry players to seize the tremendous opportunities presented by the mobile AI era and build a fully-connected, intelligent world.”

MWC Shanghai 2024 will be held from June 26 to June 28 in Shanghai, China. During the event, Huawei will showcase its latest products and solutions at stands E10 and E50 in Hall N1 of the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).