LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS SHANGHAI: China Mobile is “dedicated to the development of the device industry” as IoT and 5G open up new opportunities, asserted Huidi Li, EVP for the operator.

Noting that the company “achieved fast conversion from 3G to 4G”, including driving take-up of services in the mass market, the intention is also to push ahead with 5G ready for the launch of commercial services in 2020.

“We hope that in terms of the core technology and product development, we can continue to promote innovation,” he said at the event’s Global Device Summit today, noting the role Chinese companies have played in the evolution of the global device market.

With regard to continued 4G technology development, several technologies were identified as key, including VoLTE, RCS and carrier aggregation.

A significant focus of China Mobile’s device effort is on quality, with the company detailing its China Mobile Device Quality report in line with this.

Jingxin Ma, vice general manager of the China Mobile Group Device Company, noted: “Customers’ expectations are increasing all the time.”

The report covers a number of areas, such as multimedia capabilities, cameras, battery life and screens, as well as monitoring overall user experience.

“It is not just based on technical indicators; we still have to listen to feedback from users,” he said.

One focus area is VoLTE performance, which includes its impact on battery life. This has enabled the company to ensure the quality of the services it offers is market-leading, with low dropped-call levels, he said.

Noting that China Mobile is “very keen on wearables”, the company also assesses the performance of such devices, in areas such as accuracy of step count.