The 9th Global Mobile Broadband Forum was held in London from 19th to 21st November, 2018.At the event, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu, announced the shipment of Huawei’s first 10,000 5G base stations, describing the company’s vision for the future of 5G.Huawei has also signed 22 commercial contracts for 5G.2,200 leaders and analysts from mobile telecom operators, vertical industries, and standards organizations around the world attended the forum.
Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu said, “5G will start a technology revolution. It will bring new power to all ICT technologies, and trigger sweeping changes in business. There will be new opportunities the likes of which we’ve never seen.” He added, “From all angles, 5G is ready.It’s affordable, and most importantly, demand is real. Of course, there are still some barriers to 5G deployment.” Hu outlined the five fundamental changes that 5G will bring:
1. 5G will turn connectivity into a platform. With 5G, wireless access networks will provide seamless, ubiquitous, and limitless connectivity for all people and all things.
2. Everything will go online. Right now, most things are offline by default, and most electronic devices are not connected.
3. The world will go all cloud. Supercharged with 5G, the cloud will provide massive computing power with instant transfer speeds and near-zero lag. This will make intelligence on demand available for everyone, everywhere. New business models will begin to emerge.
4. Devices will be redefined. With AI support across devices, network, and the cloud, devices will go from plug and play to plug and think. They will understand users better – able to actively predict our needs, not just passively respond to commands – and interact with us in more natural ways.
5. Experience will flow seamlessly. With existing networks, our online experience is fragmented from one scenario to another. When all things are online and cloud-based, experience and content will flow seamlessly through time, space, and devices for a truly holistic experience across all scenarios.
Later in the event, Huawei Executive Director and President of Carrier BG Ryan Ding announced that Huawei has signed 22 commercial contracts for 5G. He said that the contracts are a reflection of customers’ strong recognition of Huawei’s leading 5G end-to-end capabilities and innovative products and solutions. He said, “We will provide innovative solutions to address challenges in 5G commercialization. We have signed 22 commercial contracts for 5G, and we are working with over 50 carriers on 5G commercial tests. Through heavy investmentand continuous innovation, we are committed to helping carriers deploy 5G networks easily, rapidly, and cost-effectively.”
The Global Mobile Broadband Forum has been held every year since 2010. This year’s Global Mobile Broadband Forum starts out with two days of keynotes on a range of topics, including new network technology and best practices in commercial 5G deployment, connected services on LTE networks, digital indoor systems, connecting the unconnected in emerging markets, network automation, and cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) networks.