Huawei’s Ryan Ding.
On the day before MWC22 Barcelona, Ryan Ding, Huawei’s Executive Director and President of the Carrier BG, gave a keynote speech entitled “Lighting up the Future”. Ding said that operators can work on three factors: connection density, computing diversity, and carbon reduction intensity, and called on operators to join Huawei in its GUIDE business blueprint to create a better digital economy together.
The global digital economy is developing rapidly, and over 50% of global GDP will be digitalized in 2022. Many countries and regions, like China, South Korea, and the EU, have already announced huge investment plans for the digital economy. As ICT infrastructure providers, operators will play an increasingly important role in leading the development of the future digital economy.
Three levers to shape the future of the digital economy
During his keynote, Ding explained that the vitality of digital economy can be evaluated by three factors: connection density, computing diversity, and carbon reduction intensity, and that these factors give operators the levers they need to shape the future of the digital economy.
By increasing connection density, operators can grow their 5G user base and expand their business scope. By diversifying their computing resources, operators can create synergies between connectivity and IT to boost enterprise digitalization for new growth. In carbon reduction, new green ICT solutions, like those Huawei provides, will increase network capacity and cut the energy consumption per bit for greener development.
5G has come a long way
Commercial 5G deployment started two years ago, and since then, the numbers of 5G networks, users, and devices have grown rapidly. By the end of 2021, more than 200 operators have deployed commercial 5G networks, servicing more than 700 million 5G users. There are currently over 1,200 commercial 5G devices in use. This growing user base is bringing commercial returns to operators while driving continuous network rollouts.
During the event, Ding shared 5G success stories from various operators and showed how new 5G applications like AR, VR, and new video are offering users new experiences. Flexible 5G pricing models are also benefiting both users and operators and driving rapid growth in the 5G user base.
In China, 5GtoB private networks have been deployed at scale in multiple industries. By the end of 2021, Huawei has signed more than 3,000 commercial 5GtoB contracts with Chinese operators and partners, gaining a wealth of experience in industry applications. One highlighted example was from China’s Inner Mongolia, where a coal mine is using 5G to remotely control shearers. Since 5G was deployed, coal miners have been working in a safer and more comfortable environment.
Connectivity + IT for new growth
According to Ding, as more industries are going digital, IT infrastructure will need to be rebuilt to drive more efficient operations. By creating synergies between IT and CT, cloud and edge, and cloud and networks, Huawei hopes to help operators go digital and intelligent and achieve new revenue growth. In Asia Pacific, for example, Huawei’s OneStorage solution has helped one operator cut TCO by 30%.
Green ICT: More Bits, Less Watts
Green ICT is key to sustainable growth in the digital economy. The ICT industry is providing new technologies to help other industries reduce their carbon footprints. In fact, these savings are predicted to amount to ten times larger than the ICT industry’s own footprint. At the forum, Ding also shared Huawei’s green strategy: More Bits, Less Watts.
With its full range of green solutions, including green site, green network, and green operation, Huawei aims to help operators increase network capacity and cut the energy consumption per bit. Huawei also proposed the Network Carbon Intensity index to quantify the carbon emissions of the ICT industry and help operators make their green strategy a reality.
Ding proposed Huawei’s GUIDE business blueprint, which aims to help operators develop the five key capabilities required for business success: expanding services, innovating efficiently, leveraging resources, competing on value, and contributing to society.
