Building a shared industrial ecosystem for 5G

[Beijing, China, November 21, 2019] China has what it takes to deliver the world's best 5G, and the whole world is enjoying the benefits provided by China's 5G" was a key message delivered by Huawei Rotating Chairman Eric Xu at the World 5G Convention (Nov 20–23) in Beijing during his keynote speech entitled "Building a shared industrial ecosystem for 5G.

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning!

It's a great honor to be here at the World 5G Convention on behalf of Huawei and share my thoughts on 5G development.

China has what it takes to deliver the world's best 5G.

China is leading the world in many aspects: spectrum resources, number of sites, deployment capacity, consumer awareness and demand, involvement of industries and businesses, and government support. China also has a holistic industry chain for devices as well as world-leading 5G technologies. Over 50% of the smartphones shipped worldwide are from Chinese companies. I believe we can deliver the world's best 5G by leveraging these advantages.

Huawei Rotating Chairman Eric Xu at the World 5G Convention

The whole world is enjoying the benefits provided by China's 5G.

China has issued 5G licenses and is now rolling out 5G networks at scale. These developments are increasing global demand for 5G network equipment and fuelling the development of network equipment vendors from China, Europe, and the rest of the world. Positive developments in China have also driven up demand for semiconductors. In the third quarter of 2019, the global semiconductor industry started to see stable growth again, and the equipment production industry has also benefited from China's developments.

The advent of 5G services is driving up consumer demand for 5G devices. This boosts growth across the industry chain for devices. It's estimated that there will be over 200 million 5G users in China by 2020. 5G also drives innovative applications like high-definition video, AR/VR, cloud gaming, and cloud computers. This brings new opportunities for OTT companies to innovate and grow. In addition, 5G is promoting cross-sector innovation, as China's 5G innovation projects span 19 sectors and more than 3,900 companies to lead industry digitization worldwide.

We need to have an objective understanding about 5G and collaborate to develop it.

Let me make this clear: 5G radio and 5G core are independent network elements (NEs) based on standard interface protocols. According to 3GPP standards, mobile edge computing (MEC) is part of the core network. Deploying the core close to the edge won't affect the functional split or interface protocol between 5G radio and 5G core. Regardless of physical proximity, whether they are separated or collocated, the two NEs' independence from each other won't be affected. Claiming that 5G radio and 5G core cannot be separated or be independent from each other is something based on ulterior motives.

For 5G, first movers wondering whether the chicken or the egg will come first, are at risk of falling behind while they argue about it. We can see that in the past when a new generation of mobile technology emerged, there were heated debates, concerns, and hesitations. Many people were trying to find killer apps for the technology. Past experiences show that this approach was meaningless.

It's also important for us to recognize that using 5G for IoT should be a step-by-step process. IoT is more about things than networks. It will take time and steady cross-sector collaboration to lay the foundation for industry digitization with 5G.

A collaborative approach is essential for maximizing the value of 5G, so 5G development should synergize with other technologies like AI, big data, and cloud computing.

Let's work together to help China deliver the world's best 5G and share the benefits provided by China's 5G.

Thank you!