The global mobile communications industry is entering a new phase defined by rapid 5G-A deployment and the deep integration of artificial intelligence, with operators beginning to see commercial value and new business models taking shape, Eric Zhao, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei Wireless Network Product Line, said in an interview with RCR Wireless News.<\/p>\n
According to Zhao, the past year has been transformative. \u201cThe first change I\u2019d like to discuss is that 5G-A networks and devices have matured,\u201d he said, adding that the number of commercial 5G-A networks worldwide is set to reach 50 this year, covering over 300 cities. Device support already encompasses over 100 models. China\u2019s three major carriers have actively launched various types of 5G-A plans to meet the personalized needs of different user groups, the executive said. Globally, operators are marketing 5G-A with tailored packages: Kuwait\u2019s Zain, stc, and Ooredoo have introduced layered 5G-A plans priced around 50% higher than 5G, while operators in Thailand and Singapore are offering plans with speed boosts and scenario-specific guarantees. \u201cThese offerings have helped operators increase the average revenue per user of 5G-A,\u201d Zhao noted.<\/p>\n
He said another key shift is the accelerating integration of 5G-A and AI. \u201cToday, operators are exploring the commercial application of 5G-A and AI,\u201d Zhao explained. In China, China Mobile Guangdong has partnered with device makers to release AI-powered phones with 5G-A capabilities, faster connections, and embedded features like AI agents, AI calling, and quantum-encrypted messaging. Deutsche Telekom in Germany has unveiled a new AI device that, Zhao said, \u201cexceeds the overall AI performance of iPhones,\u201d while LG U+ in South Korea is deploying AI to help SMEs improve efficiency. The convergence of these technologies has also been featured at global events such as the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, which hosted a dedicated \u201cRadio and AI\u201d forum for the first time, and the World Humanoid Robot Games, where China Unicom provided 5G-A connectivity to support event operations. \u201cOverall, the global mobile communications industry is demonstrating strong innovation potential,\u201d Zhao said, adding that the momentum is \u201cbeing driven by rapid 5G-A commercial deployment and AI\u2019s deep integration with mobile communications.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking forward, Zhao argued that the mobile AI era will be centered on agents. \u201cThe upcoming mobile AI era will center on agents. And AI agents will be used in all aspects of our lives,\u201d he said. To capture this opportunity, Huawei sees two immediate priorities: building stronger collaboration with operators, industry groups, and partners, and developing new business models. \u201cWe must establish more efficient communication mechanisms to drive consensus and align standards,\u201d Zhao stressed, pointing to the company\u2019s joint \u201c5G-AxAI Campaign\u201d with GSMA and GTI. As part of this initiative, Huawei\u2019s \u201cIntelligent RAN, Ubiquitous AI Project\u201d has already built autonomous network benchmarks in 12 cities worldwide.<\/p>\n
The second priority is experimenting with fresh value models. \u201c5G-A and mobile AI will create value that extends far beyond just traffic growth,\u201d Zhao said. This requires moving \u201cfrom selling connections to selling capabilities, and from charging for pipes to sharing value.\u201d He highlighted China Mobile\u2019s partnership with Shanghai Shenhua Football Club, which offers fans enhanced 5G-A mobile plans that guarantee faster speeds and boost loyalty. \u201cI believe that next year, more popular business models will emerge to accelerate shared success,\u201d Zhao added.<\/p>\n
Huawei\u2019s latest step in this direction is the\u00a0 announcement of the innovative direction for future network evolution: AgenticRAN , a new architecture designed to apply AI across wireless networks. \u201cThe mobile industry is seeking new innovations, while AI is rapidly advancing. How can we apply AI to mobile networks? We can begin with wireless scenarios,\u201d Zhao explained. He identified three critical factors for evaluating AI adoption: effectiveness, reliability, and cost. Effectiveness requires generalization across scenarios; reliability depends on stable operations without unpredictable faults or \u201challucinations\u201d; and cost must reflect efficiency-first principles.<\/p>\n
With these factors in mind, AgenticRAN introduces AI in a layered and reasonable manner. The business layer, Agentic Service, uses AI to help operators open network capabilities flexibly and monetize more efficiently. At the O&M layer, Agentic AN enables multi-objective optimization and integrates with operators\u2019 management systems to achieve higher levels of autonomy. Huawei adopts an adaptive approach to introducing AI and algorithms into wireless networks, continuously improving the spectral efficiency and energy efficiency of wireless communications, and flexibly utilizing time, frequency, space, and power resources to achieve the optimal balance between performance and efficiency.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWe are confident that AgenticRAN will set new records in spectrum efficiency, energy efficiency, and network automation, pushing the entire industry forward,\u201d Zhao said.<\/p>\n
For Huawei, these efforts reflect a broader strategy of enabling ecosystem growth. \u201cWe are committed to achieving shared success with industry stakeholders through continual technological evolution, ecosystem building, and application deployment,\u201d Zhao emphasized. With 5G-A rollouts gaining speed, AI agents emerging, and architectures like AgenticRAN offering layered innovation, Huawei believes the industry is poised for a new wave of opportunity. \u201cWith AI, we believe that the mobile industry has unlimited potential,\u201d Zhao concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The global mobile communications industry is entering a new phase defined by rapid 5G-A deployment and the deep…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[165,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-212215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}