Huawei has shipped more than 10,000 5G base stations this year
5G is ready to deliver a technology revolution, according to Huawei deputy chairman Ken Hu.
Hu gave an update on Huawei’s 5G deployment at its ninth Global Mobile Broadband Forum at the London ExCel Centre on November 20.
Huawei has shipped more than 10,000 5G base stations this year, with Hu informing attendees that the company has been working on 5G for nearly 10 years.
The technology is expected to be widely rolled out in 2020, with 154 carriers across 66 countries having tested 5G and 110 markets expected to deploy it by 2025.
In his speech, Hu also said devices will be redefined and that it will be “difficult to not be online” in the future. He said artificial intelligence would turn “plug and play” into “plug and think” through 5G’s ability to better understand users.
“The future device should always be online, smarter than ever and understands you and knows what we want” said Hu.
“The progress is much quicker than we expected 12 months ago. From every angle, 5G is ready to use. The commercial deployment has started and, more importantly, the demand is real.”
Huawei’s forum took place at London’s ExCel Centre
Hu did say there would be some hurdles to overcome in 5G, in areas such as spectrum allocation and site deployment.
As a way of speeding up the delivery of 5G, he has urged governments to release continuous bands of spectrum at a lower cost than for 4G.
“As for sites, deploying networks is expensive,” he said. “Shared utility infrastructure, such as rooftops and light poles, can help carriers cut costs and time, and even open up new revenue streams for public utilities.”
Hu summarised: “We believe 5G will make an important and lasting contribution to society. At Huawei, we are working hard to make 5G networks stronger, simpler, more intelligent and more secure.”
Huawei expects to launch its first 5G smartphone at MWC in February next year as announced by its Western Europe president Walter Ji at Huawei Eco Connect last month.
