China's telecom firms call for collaborations

Artificial intelligence applications across devices and networks, advances in 5G and 6G technologies, and the way they have been rapidly reshaping the telecommunications industry have been among major topics discussed at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Chinese companies have showcased their latest achievements and organized panel discussions at the event. They said they are expecting to boost cooperation in the mobile communications industry.

Huawei hosted industry partners and opinion leaders for a roundtable discussion on Monday of the acceleration of industrial intelligence to promote sustainable development.

The roundtable session, co-hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, aimed to foster the use of AI in industries and manufacturing as part of a global initiative co-launched by UNIDO, Huawei and other partners.

The discussion revolved around the role of 5G-Advanced technologies and AI in helping address global challenges, including climate change.

Yu Liang, vice-president of Huawei Cloud Global Ecosystem for the Europe, Middle East and Central Asia region, shared how the company has collaborated with stakeholders to further sustainability.

Among achievements, Huawei Cloud's Pangu-Weather Model, an AI model for global weather forecasting, was adopted last year by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The model has achieved more precision, with faster prediction speeds that can help reduce disruptive effects of natural disasters such as typhoons, Yu said.

In the United Kingdom, Huawei's AI technologies have been deployed in collaboration with local institutions and international nonprofits to help experts assess and monitor the population of the red squirrel, an endangered species in the country.

"All these benefits can be achieved not only by Huawei technologies, but also by a very enriched ecosystem of the whole world," Yu said. "That is why we worked with our partners to develop well-connected solutions for our industries."

Also on Monday, China Mobile held a series of launches, particularly highlighting its latest innovations in 5G-Advanced technologies.

The company is also working hard to explore key technologies and application scenarios for the sixth-generation mobile networks.

Huang Yuhong, general manager of China Mobile Research Institute, said China Mobile is willing to share its experiences with the world, and the development of the telecommunications industry requires collective thinking and close cooperation from all parties.

"For example, when it comes to 5G-Advanced or 6G standardization, without unified global standards, large-scale production cannot be achieved and industries cannot gain cost advantages," she said."Therefore, we are willing to share with the world, as we understand that our openness can promote cooperation in this era, thus bringing everyone together."

Dialogue mechanisms

Thorsten Jelinek, a senior fellow and Europe director at the Beijing-based think tank Taihe Institute, said dialogue mechanisms also need to be encouraged, noting that countries are more concerned now with digital security issues.

The positive news is that there are some collaborative activities on the table, especially between China and the European Union, which could enhance trust and identify areas of collaboration, Jelinek said.

"I saw some changes in 2023 and maybe going forward in 2024. The EU has a lot of dialogue with China. There are some high-level meetings around ICT (information and communications technology), data and science," he said.

Ashraf Abushady, a senior adviser on digital transformation and AI at the UN Industrial Development Organization, said promoting multilateralism is an approach to foster communications and exchanges. He suggested that governments, academics and businesses all be included in the dialogue.

John Hoffman, CEO of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, organizer of the Mobile World Congress, said:"The only way we can be successful is to have public-private partnerships and global collaboration."