China Mobile and Huawei bet on 5G-A for the mobile AI era
Shanghai Mobile released new 5G-A packages.
The Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2024 witnessed a surge of excitement surrounding the upcoming commercialization of 5G-A, the next iteration of mobile network technology. Tech giants China Mobile and Huawei are at the forefront of the upgrade, promising a faster, smarter mobile experience for users in Shanghai and nationwide.
The latest version of the 5G-A international standard in Shanghai marks a significant leap forward to the new technology. Compared with current 5G, 5G-A advantages include up to 10 times faster downloads, enhanced experience on gaming and AR/VR and more intelligent interconnection for smart city construction, experts said.
China Mobile's Shanghai branch launched its 5G-A plan at the event, including building 14,000 5G-A sites citywide this year and offering more commercial 5G-A packages, making it the leading city in 5G-A globally.
With local 5G-A networks, the peak download speed will hit 5 gigabytes per second. The packages now target groups such as business executives on trips, broadcasters and game fans, who require high-speed and stable networks outside, Shanghai Mobile said.
A Huawei executive talks about 5G convergence with AI at the congress.
After 5G-A's 3GPP R18 standard frozen in Shanghai last week, 5G-A starts initial commercialization in 2024. More than 60 carriers globally, including China Mobile, have started 5G-A network building or operation, said Huawei.
The artificial intelligence boom, connected cars and the Internet of Things have all fueled demands for a more advanced 5G network or 5G-A, David Wang, Huawei's executive director of the board, said at a MWC Shanghai forum on Wednesday.
AI-generated content and inquiries are creating demand for huge-volume data; connected cars or autonomous driving require more stable and flexible networks while Internet of Things devices are well connected – all require a 5G-A network, Wang added.
However, 5G-A is still a bit far away for consumers, as only about 30 smartphone models will support 5G-A in 2024, excluding iPhone 15 models. Meanwhile, 5G-A is not only limited in smartphone formats.
Shanghai Mobile launched a backpack on Tuesday supporting 5G-A for business executives, which supports a peak download speed of 3Gbps. Currently, Shanghai has 5G-A networks covering key city landmarks, major roads within the Outer Ring, and some Metro lines.
