What We’ve Got In Store For You At MWC 2019

BY RICHARD GRIFFITHSPOSTED ON FEBRUARY 25, 2019

For the last three months, Huawei HQ has been dominated by the kind of buzz that you’d expect gearing up for a pop concert. It was, of course, preparation for MWC2019, the huge industry event that sets the stage for Huawei, our customers, partners, and end users for the next 12 months.

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This year’s MWC includes our very latest carrier network products and services, and I’ve been privileged to be on the inside track this year. So, finally, let me open the door and give you a taste of what lies ahead if you’re lucky enough to visit us over the next four days.

The theme for this year’s Mobile World Congress is Intelligent Connectivity, which brings together two dominant industry trends: Artificial Intelligence and 5G Connectivity.

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Over at Huawei, our vision of Building A Fully Connected, Intelligent World is reflected in our exhibition zones:

Two of the three are dedicated to 5G and AI, with the third highlighting new ways to grow revenue.

5G was big news at MWC2018 too. So what makes this year different to last year? Can you expect to see anything new?

Of course.

Much of what was on display last year was theoretical. Trials of 5G were being planned around the world but the pilots, PoCs, and use cases existed largely on Excel spreadsheets. What a difference a year makes.

During the course of 2018 we’ve seen the first 5G chips, followed by the first 5G CPE, and now the first 5G smartphones. Trials have taken place on every continent, networks have been delivered, and there’s nothing to stop the tidal wave of commercial launches taking place throughout 2019. Take a look around MWC2019 and you will see real cases of how we have delivered 5G networks cost-effectively and quickly based on decades of experience at building networks.

5G enables massive capacity increases and the near-instantaneous transmission of data. So, it’s no surprise that the use cases leverage these features and enable telcos to engage with industry and consumers in completely new ways. The basic use case for 5G is to enable low-cost Fixed Wireless Access, or WTTx, as a cost-effective alternative to fiber’s FTTx connectivity, both direct to end users and via new wholesale models for community ISPs.

Other use cases are more surprising. In medicine, we’re enabling surgeons in China to operate on patients in remote operating theatres using 3D glasses and precise robotic controls. Meanwhile, 4K cameras connected over 5G are greatly reducing the operational cost of managing fisheries in Norway by enabling the remote detection of the early onset of disease in these harsh environments. Some of these new businesses have been talked about for years, but it’s only now that 5G is making the dream a reality. In entertainment, the ability to bring together 5G networks and cloud computing is resulting in cost-effective AR/VR video applications without expensive, wired headsets while the highest-quality action gaming is now playable on any screen from the smartphone to the 4K TV without a console in sight.

In the world of transportation, we are showing the world what a 5G metro station looks like in Shanghai.

Not so dumb after all

Telcos’ worries about their dumb pipes of five years ago are proving unfounded as the pipes and network have become increasingly intelligent and end users have begun demanding a quality experience that only the telco can deliver.

This year, you will see how we’re adding AI to every node on the network even down to the ONT to deliver tangible cost savings in operations and power management and vastly improved user experiences from applications like video to customer support.

AI is rapidly helping the transformation of telco businesses and it requires both hardware and software to deliver the business benefits.

What’s In it For You

At MWC2019, you will be able to learn how Huawei is delivering full-stack AI from our chips up through our servers, storage, and cloud to the learning platform and inference engines that deliver AI in all scenarios.

But we haven’t forgotten the telco’s traditional networks and businesses. Elsewhere in wireless, we can show you a series of technologies to maximize the capacity of your existing 4G network and smooth the transition to 5G, while in fiber, we’re showcasing the very latest 10G network technologies.

One of the most exciting developments, though, is in IoT. While most telcos agree that IoT should become an integrated part of their business, many are struggling with the cost of sourcing devices, developing applications and system integration against risky business models. This year, at MWC2019, we have the answer. Our Global IoT Market Place brings pre-integrated devices with proven business cases together with accredited application developers and system integrators to a global Cloud IoT platform that enables telcos to launch a range of off-the-shelf Smart City IoT businesses quickly at low cost and without the historical risk.

Intelligent Connectivity at MWC2019 is not a distant goal. It’s a reality today so come visit us and find out directly how we can help you as we embark on Building A Fully Connected, Intelligent World together.