Speaking on the topic of Soar Toward Light with Innovation, Zhuang noted its new strategy aims to drive the evolution and upgrade of AI-enabled optical connectivity infrastructure, while partnering with global organisations to promote a new era of intelligent and sustainable development.

The plan underscores YOFC’s response to the evolving demands of the AI era and reaffirms its commitment to enabling sustainable growth within the global communications landscape, he added.

AI technology is driving a new wave of industrial transformation around the world, the CEO stated, noting at “the heart of this shift is the deep integration of optical fibre networks with AI technologies”, which is reshaping the future of connectivity.

The strategy comprises four pillars: technological innovation in broadband connectivity, ecosystem collaboration, global market expansion and sustainable development practices.

Innovation at the core
Zhuang insisted innovation and ecosystem collaboration are paramount. “Innovation is key for our company,” he said in his keynote. As part of its AI-2030 strategy, he said from a product perspective “we really want to do things better and better to adapt to the AI era, innovating across our entire optical connectivity portfolio.”

YOFC last year invested CNY787 million ($110 million) in R&D, accounting for 6.5 per cent of revenue.

It works with upstream and downstream partners across the industry value chain to promote pilot projects and commercial applications of new products in emerging use cases, including multi-core, hollow-core and in-vehicle optical fibre.

He said it is strengthening collaboration with research institutes and academic partners to jointly address key technologies and accelerate the translation of innovations into real-world solutions, ranging from next-generation optical fibre to communication components to evolving network architectures.

“We work together with many national level research organisations,” he said.

The company also promotes the establishment of standards for new technologies and products.

The company is looking to broaden its global market beyond its wide domestic footprint as well as explore new application areas.

After 11 years of international expansion, YOFC has set up eight production facilities in six countries and built more than 20 overseas platforms. Zhuang noted it is deepening collaboration with global operators to support the rollout of large-scale AI networks as well as the trial and commercial application of new technologies and products.

Wide portfolio
Its overall optical connection portfolio covers transoceanic transmission, including large-capacity, ultra-high-speed submarine cable; backbone and MAN transmission; interconnection of MAN and intelligent computing centres (multi-core fibre); internal interconnection of intelligent computing centres; and next-generation ultra-high-speed interconnection (hollow-core fibre).

YOFC was founded in 1988 as a joint venture between the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Wuhan city and Netherlands-based Philips. It employs more than 9,800 staff.

Over the past 37 years, it has produced and delivered more than 1.1 billion km of fibre, serving more than 3 billion people and helping raise the global fibre broadband penetration rate to 47.3 per cent.

In countries with less-developed infrastructure, such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Peru, the company is participating in the construction of local optical fibre networks, supporting connect communities and extending the benefits of digital intelligence to more people.

Across the world, Zhuang said a third of the population does not have access to the internet. “We want to see the populations in underdeveloped areas benefit. We are committed to eliminating the digital gap and sharing a better life by enabling AI in these regions.”

In terms of its sustainability goals, the company is working to enhance its social responsibility efforts, build a more sustainable supply chain, actively respond to climate change and embrace green management practices, Zhuang stated.

By advancing its green management activities and exploring circular economic models, YOFC increased energy utilisation by 40 per cent, improved production efficiency by 20 per cent and reduced operating costs by 20 per cent.

Looking forward, driven by its mission of Smart Link, Better Life, YOFC will “deepen collaboration with partners around the world to empower a digitally intelligent future – further accelerating the momentum of global digital transformation,” he concluded.

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0:00 Intro
2:00 MWC Shanghai Highlights 
10:00 GSMA Net Zero Report
14:30 Justin’s Robotaxi Tour 
21:00 MWL 5G-Advanced Topic Panel
31:00 TM Forum DTW Copenhagen 

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Mobile World Live’s Justin Springham is on the ground to bring you all the action from the world’s largest mobile market – and he buckles up for a ride in a driverless taxi around the streets of Pudong.

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PARTNER CONTENT: Chang Lin, CEO, reveals the steps necessary to ensure robots move from the training ground to real-world industrial applications.

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PARTNER CONTENT: Alex Sinclair discusses how Chinese operators have been able to benefit from 5G-Advanced and AI so early in their development cycles – and the future benefits these technologies will bring.

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PARTNER CONTENT: Executive Chairman and Founder Shaun Collins highlights the standout trends impacting the mobile industry and the role operators should play in the booming AI market.

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In his keynote, Li said: “We cannot stand alone, and we cannot cope with the many challenges all by ourselves,” adding companies need to be part of an ecosystem to collaborate with partners to create a more open platform.

Li noted this is essential to quickly satisfy changing customers demands.

He claimed Honor is one of the only mobile devices that can connect to both Huawei and Apple’s operating systems, and also can connect with other brands to quickly transfer data.

Its platform uses AI to figure out ways to connect with other handsets and transfer documents and check data.

The CEO detailed the five levels of AI, suggesting the sector is currently in the middle between L2 and L3, caught between thinking and transforming to taking action.

To make AI an indispensable tool in our daily lives, Li said major challenges include overcoming information silos and opening up API infrastructure for an integrated ecosystem.

The move to artificial general intelligence or AGI, which offers human-level performance, is a long-term evolution he said, with various experts predicting it will take anywhere from five years to two decades.

Li also teased the launch of its fifth generation foldable Magic smartphone on 2 July, claiming the Magic V5 will be the thinnest foldable flagship model on the market.

The post Honor chief advocates open AI alliance appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The MOU focuses on enhancing network operations and management through artificial intelligence (AI) and big data via cloud transformation, boosting overall network efficiency and provide customers with even smoother and more reliable telecoms services.

Under the MoU, HTHK will adopt Huawei’s hybrid cloud platform in preparation for the deployment of an AI-native network architecture in the near future. The platform will enhance HTHK’s capabilities across wireless and core networks – strengthening product innovation, network operations and big data processing – ultimately driving substantial improvements in service efficiency and user experience.

Kenny Koo, Executive Director and CEO of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited, said: “As a pioneer in digital transformation, we are committed to driving industry innovation. Following last year’s successful collaboration with Huawei on advancing a green 5.5G network, today’s initiative on cloud transformation marks a significant shift towards becoming an AI-powered network. This move will enable us to deliver smarter, more efficient solutions to redefine the customer experience and further drive 5G adoption. By embedding AI and cloud capabilities into our core infrastructure, we are laying a solid foundation to become a telco of the AI era.”

Taylor Wu, HCS Solution Sales Director of Huawei, said: “We are delighted to deepen our collaboration with HTHK to promote AI-powered network operations that drive both operational efficiency and service innovation. With over 30 years of expertise in the ICT sector, Huawei will continue to showcase our full-scenario capabilities across intelligent connectivity, cloud-network synergy, and green energy solutions. Together with HTHK, we are embarking on a new chapter in network cloud transformation, laying the foundation for next-generation intelligent networks and propelling Hong Kong toward its vision of a smarter, more connected future.”

Unlocking strengths of a cloud-native intelligent network

The integration of artificial intelligence into network transformation not only drives enhanced business operations but also significantly elevates the customer experience. Going forward, the AI-powered network will be able to instantly predict user traffic demands, demonstrating strengths during high-traffic concerts and mega events held indoors in shopping malls or at outdoor venues.

The signing of the MoU also lays a solid foundation for future AI-driven collaborations between both parties. Following the network transformation, the upgraded infrastructure will support a suite of advanced features, including the automatic detection of over 30 types of anomalies and high-risk scenarios. It enables proactive network stress testing ahead of peak periods such as holidays, major events and sports matches, ensuring robust performance under high demand. Moreover, the network will provide highly reliable protection for critical scenarios, including emergency response, public service systems and medical data transmission. Equipped with AI-powered predictive capabilities, the upgraded network will also enhance urban resilience and recovery efficiency in case of extreme weather, mega events or unforeseen incidents.

Looking ahead, HTHK and Huawei will continue to explore innovative applications integrating AI, 5G and cloud technologies, to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies in Hong Kong. Leveraging AI-powered network services, both companies aim to provide customers and enterprises across various industries with robust, secure and high-performance mobile communications services.

The post HTHK and Huawei Sign Strategic MoU on Deployment of Cloud-native Intelligent Infrastructure appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Released ahead of MWC Shanghai, the latest edition of the annual Mobile Net Zero report highlighted growing momentum across the sector with operators reducing emissions even as mobile connections rose 9 per cent and data traffic quadrupled.

Operators reported significant progress in renewable energy adoption; 37 per cent of electricity was sourced from renewables in 2023, up from 13 per cent in 2019. This transition avoided an estimated 16 million tonnes of emissions.

Regionally, Europe led with a 56 per cent emissions reduction since 2019, followed by North America at 44 per cent and Latin America at 36 per cent. In China, operator emissions declined 4 per cent in 2024, marking the first drop following years of growth as renewable energy use more than quadrupled.

However, the industry association flagged that to stay on course for net zero by 2050, emissions must fall by 7.5 per cent annually through to 2030, marking more than twice the average rate achieved to date. Preliminary data for 2024 indicated a 4.5 per cent drop in emissions, representing an improvement over previous years but short of the required pace.

Green acting
The report found that decarbonisation efforts are being driven by operators prioritising energy efficiency, adopting clean power like solar and battery storage, and phasing out legacy networks and diesel use. While some markets benefit from better renewable electricity access due to policy and market conditions, the GSMA warned “the accelerated reductions needed by 2030 will require greater access across more markets”.

Scope 3 emissions, which are generated by supply chains and manufacturing, remain a key concern, making up the two-thirds of the sector’s carbon footprint. To this end, GSMA flagged value chain emissions as a critical focus area for operators setting science-based targets.

The report also noted a rising interest in circularity, with almost 90 per cent of surveyed consumers considering refurbished devices. Indeed, the industry association noted that the second-hand device market is projected to hit $150 billion by 2027.

Steven Moore, GSMA’s head of climate action, stated the results showcase that the industry is not “greenwashing or greenwishing – it’s green acting”. However, he stressed the need for faster progress, stronger policies, better access to renewables, and greater collaboration across the ecosystem.

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The scale of base station deployments in the world’s largest mobile market nearly doubled since 5G services were launched in 2019, with the company adding just over 1 million new cell sites last year, he stated. Between 2015 and 2024, it deployed an average of 925,000 per year.

China Tower also saved more than CNY108 billion ($15 billion) in operating expenses through cost reduction programmes, which lowered marginal costs. The drop was driven in part by 85 per cent of new towers having multiple tenants. Its tenant ratio last year was 1.8.

Zhang claimed despite reducing overall expenses, new deployments offer better service capability.

The tower company operates 1.2 million towers and 5.6 million base stations across China, and delivers ubiquitous coverage on express trains and subways, covering some 66,000km.

It also is giving satellite internet companies access to its towers and base stations, with 70 per cent of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System using its assets.

In addition to operating telecoms towers, China Tower has turned its focus to installing green energy options and backup batteries to store power from renewable sources. He said it continues to promote transformation and the upgrade of digital infrastructure on the ground.

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Before the decline last year, previous analyses found regular annual increases in emissions in China, which rose 7 per cent between 2019 and 2023. 

Energy consumption grew 30 per cent since 2019 as data consumption soared with the nationwide rollout of 5G services, with the nation ending 2024 with just over 1 billion 5G connections.

Steven Moore, head of climate action at the GSMA, stated the opportunity in China is enormous, as operators can propel the industry forward in its efforts towards net zero.

“A lot more needs to be done, and it is encouraging to see the mobile industry in Greater China making progress in this way,” he noted. “However, this first decrease is only realised if it goes further next year. We must double down and ensure we are doing everything we can as a global industry to halve emissions by 2030.”

The Mobile Net Zero: Greater China report, released at the event, noted the drop in emissions comes as a growing number of mobile operators in the region are setting voluntary climate targets. 

Four operators in Asia Pacific have validated near-term science-based targets, while three have validated net zero targets. Several key suppliers also have committed to science-based targets and 2050 net zero targets. 

The annual Mobile Net Zero report found the mobile industry trimmed operational emissions by 8 per cent between 2019 and 2023 despite surging demand.

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Speaking on the topic of AI+ Leading the Emergence of Carbon-Silicon-Based Symbiotic Innovation, Yang explained a new generation of IT advances is rapidly transforming the economy and society from a range of directions. “The efficiency of the AI economy will leap. This is going to unleash a new dividend for societal development.”

He added AI is already serving as a strategic driver for a technological revolution as well as industrial transformation in an unprecedented way and at an unprecedented pace.

Yang believes it is just a matter of time before silicon-based hardware, such as sensors, processors and controllers, outnumber humans.

“China Mobile looks forward to collaborating with global industry partners to achieve carbon-silicon symbiosis and promote cross-industry knowledge sharing to build a collaborative ecosystem,” he said.

The world’s largest mobile player by subscribers also committed to upholding the principles of AI for good and building new governance principles.

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Badrinath noted as the sector discovers 5G’s full potential, one question remains: “how can we drive growth?”

He argued before looking too far ahead, “we must stay focused on the opportunity that’s right in front of us. The potential of 5G is there”, delivering faster speeds, ultra-low latency and enhanced network slicing capabilities.

“SA 5G allows us to make the whole network configurable and programmable.”

In the mainland, China Mobile last year launched the world’s first commercial 5G-Advanced network, which now reaches more than 300 cities.

“We must take this proven capability and make it accessible everywhere,” he noted.

The DG stated more AI creates more demand on networks and the need for more 5G. “Our networks are not just using AI, they are enabling it. Without advanced connectivity, there is no AI.”

China already positioned itself as the global leader in 5G, and when it comes to AI, it plans to replicate this success, he noted.

China Unicom’s smart connection offering has helped a steel plant in Hebei increase efficiency by 18 per cent, using AI algorithms to predict equipment failures, while China Telecom is using AI to empower vertical industries, through customised private 5G networks.

Turning to the growing interest in the GSMA Open Gateway API initiative, he explained opening up networks unlocks new market opportunities for operators and drives innovation across sectors.

Some 73 mobile operator groups representing almost 80 per cent of global connections have joined, including all operators in China.

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The CEO of Singtel’s International Digital Services unit outlined how, after launching the world’s first commercial network slice in 2022, the company has expanded this offering to support “event-based slicing” for concerts, the country’s National Day Parade and its annual Formula One race.

The technology allows operators to allocate dedicated network resources, or ‘network slices,’ to prioritise specific applications and guarantee a certain level of service quality.

The strategy has proven successful for Singtel in the enterprise space too, with businesses using it to overcome congestion and achieve high speeds for critical applications. “We are under discussion to now use network slicing for smart ambulances and remote patient monitoring,” revealed Yip.

It has also pushed the concept of network slicing to its entire customer base via the launch last month of its 5G+ (5G Advanced) service, the latest evolution of 5G technology. In an announcement at the time of launch, Singtel declared it “the world’s first country-wide deployment of network slicing for consumers.”

AI-native
Naturally the conversation turned to Singtel’s work in the AI space, with Yip keen to express Singtel’s desire to become “an AI-native telco.”

To that end, she stated that all of the operator’s staff are being trained in AI, with an objective to ensure that 5 per cent become “AI specialists.”

“Governance and ethics are crucial,” said Yip. “We need to use AI in the right way, the fair way, with tools for transparency and fairness. We want to make sure our people are mindset ready and have the tools at their disposal.”

She gave examples of how Singtel is using AI tools to protect customers, such as blocking scam calls (citing 10 million scam calls and SMS’ blocked monthly) and more than 6 million malicious URLs and DNS requests blocked monthly as part of its Mobile Protect offering.

She also talked up Singtel’s role in the Global Telco AI Alliance (GTAA) – an initiative launched at MWC Barcelona 2024 by SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, e& Group, Singtel and Softbank to develop Large Language Models (LLM) specifically for telecoms –  as well as its focus on specific AI powered solutions such as a ‘Smart Travel’ AI trip planner.

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AI is on the brink of a new era, poised to redefine the future of technology, while 5G is driving smarter, more sustainable services for businesses, governments and communities.

GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath, at the helm for his first MWC Shanghai, told Mobile World Live as AI accelerates at an unprecedented pace, “it has evolved from a frontier of innovation into a powerful catalyst for transformation across vertical industries”.

In China, he noted from the start 5G has been prioritised as a key enabler for industrial innovation, prompting widespread demand for private network solutions across sectors such as manufacturing, ports and logistics.

He suggested the vast scale of China’s industrial base ensures a constant flow of private 5G deployments and operational learning, which significantly reduce costs and drive efficiencies.

Thought leadership
MWC Shanghai 2025 runs from 18 June to 20 June at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) and Kerry Hotel Pudong, featuring around 400 speakers across some 53 keynotes, summits and GSMA programmes.

More than a dozen industry summits cover themes including agentic AI, AI powered telco, GSMA Open Gateway, Satellite and NTN, and 5G monetisation.

The opening keynotes feature industry tech leaders, including AI Club Asia MD Bo Gao, China Mobile chair Yang Jie, China Tower chair Zhiyong Zhang, Chongqing Changan Automobile chair Zhu Huarong, Honor CEO James Li, Huawei rotating chairman Eric Xu, Singtel CEO for International Digital Services Anna Yip and ZTE chief development officer Cui Li.

Badrinath will open the Digital Leader Programme, joined by thought leaders from across the ecosystem to explore how AI can move beyond generic use cases to deeply integrate with real-world sectors. “I’m looking forward to following the theme Unlocking AI’s Potential to Drive Industry Transformation.”

He noted the GSMA also is excited to host the 2025 World Robot Contest Qualifier for the first time, adding: “It’s where emerging tech talent goes head-to-head in a qualifying round of what’s regarded as the ‘Olympics’ of the robotics world.”

The DG noted 4YFN returns with “renewed energy and a bold vision for innovation” and is positioned to be Asia Pacific’s most exciting innovation and start-ups event, connecting global investors and up-and-coming enterprises.

On the exhibition floor, built up across five halls, Badrinath said he is looking forward to visiting the new GSMA Innovation Frontier Zone where “you can immerse yourself in truly next-gen technology – watch out for dynamic robotic performances featuring humanoid robots, air taxi demos and robotaxi experiential VR”.

IoT focus
New this year, the event is co-located with IOTE, a premier IoT industry showcase, bringing together cutting-edge technologies, innovative services and global business leaders. With a focus spanning RFID, sensors, communication modules, edge computing, visual IoT and cloud platforms, IOTE offers a deep dive into the future of connected industries.

In another first at MWC Shanghai, the GSMA Policy Leaders Forum brings together global policymakers and industry leaders to discuss pressing policy and regulatory issues. Key topics will include the impact and opportunities of AI, closing the digital divide as well as mobile and AI’s convergence – and the digital transformation incentives needed for the growth of digital nations.

In its second year at the event, the Connected Industries Programme offers an expanded line-up of exhibitions, sharing use-cases across fintech, manufacturing and smart mobility.

Future Tech Hall returns to Hall N4, hosting innovative companies demonstrating a wide range of future technologies.

Other first-time exhibitors are Droidup, Leju Robotics, Shanghai Zhiyuan Innovation Technology, Shanghai Spacecom and Unitree.

In total, there are more than 400 exhibitors, sponsors, and partners.

And the Asia Mobile Awards take place on 19 June, with three new awards honouring SME innovation, best AI innovation and best mobile innovation for climate action in the region.

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The operator speeches on day one, running nearly an hour, were heavy on strategic positioning such as how the combination of AI and 5G would bring new production methods, leading to super-personalised and flexible manufacturing.

The China Mobile and China Unicom chiefs surprisingly mentioned 5G-A just once, while China Telecom’s chair managed to avoid referencing it, but he did highlight the company was one of the first in the world to connect a 5G phone directly to satellite through three proprietary technologies and its low-altitude economy plans (focused on drones and non-terrestrial networks).

China Mobile chairman Yang Jie kicked off the conference by stating: “We are standing at a new stage in the digital intelligence revolution.”

The chair added it aims to “transform and upgrade our public information service offerings”, while at the same time reshape consumer services by integrating AI agents.

He echoed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s now popular policy concept of “new quality productive forces” a total of seven times in his 18-minute talk.

China Telecom chairman Ke Ruiwen stated “we are in the era of cloud plus internet plus AI,” which aims to transform the way the company operates its networks, “accelerating the agility and nimbleness” of its 5G network.

Ke added AI will also contribute to energy savings, a reduction in carbon emissions and improve the customer experience.

He offered a few more specifics, vowing to continue to upgrade its integrated 5G product offering and promote industrial devices equipped with 5G capabilities. The operator also will use generative models and technologies to expand use cases to “ensure 5G networks cover most industrial sectors”.

China Unicom chairman Chen Zhongyue encouraged operators to work together to develop new ways to revive growth in communication services, noting uptake of broadband services inched up just 2.3 per cent last year after growth peaked at about 30 per cent in 2014.

5G-A “milestone”
Meanwhile, David Wang, executive director of the board at Huawei, called the freezing of 3GPP release 18, the first standards unveiled for 5G-A last month, an industry milestone.

In a session the day before MWC Shanghai kicked off, Wang stated 5G-A networks are being deployed to meet network requirements in the AI era by delivering faster speeds, larger capacity and lower latency. “AI applications will soon make a considerable contribution to overall mobile traffic, driving the need for upgrades.”

Judging from the lack of public attention from the three operator bosses, the domestic players, which have spent trillions of yuan deploying nearly 3.8 million 5G base stations over the past five years, appear far from enthusiastic about the next-generation of 5G.

China Mobile alone invested around CNY100 billion ($13.8 billion) annually in its 5G network over that period. It revealed broad plans in March to deliver 5G-A connectivity to more than 300 cities by end-2024, without specifics on the scale or target use cases. In June, the operator said coverage reached 35 cities.

China Telecom held a press conference on Day 2 to reveal its 5G-A action plan, but president Liang Baojun offered no more detail than chairman Ke. Liang said the plan will focus on “deepening practical exploration at three levels: capability building, ecological cooperation and application implementation”. 

There was no mention of target cities, planned coverage area or number of base stations.

Newcomer China Broadnet was equally vague about its 5G-A network rollout plan during a press event, while China Unicom earlier said it began commercial pilots.

A Beijing-based analyst told Mobile World Live that while Chinese operators’ aggressive 5G investments have created new growth, particularly in the enterprise segment (which is leading the world thanks to their extensive deployments), even the Big Three find the continuing investment in 5G-A a daunting task despite its value proposition.

The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members.

The post MWC SHANGHAI DIARY: China operator chiefs push AI, quiet on 5G-A appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The world’s largest – and arguably most advanced – mobile market was the focus of the GSMA’s latest MWC event this week, and Mobile World Live‘s Justin Springham was on the ground to capture all the buzz. AI and 5G were everywhere.

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Mobile World Live‘s Justin Springham rounds up all the news from an event featuring the region’s biggest mobile operators along with key industry players including Huawei, Honor, Meizu, Qualcomm and ZTE.

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