LIVE FROM MWC23 SHANGHAI: Huawei rotating chair Sabrina Meng (pictured) likened 5G technology to a single rung on a ladder to improved efficiency and productivity, with commercial deployments creating growing appetite for more ground-breaking, leapfrog innovations.

She suggested in a keynote future digital infrastructure will be based on massive, complex systems comprising multiple elements which will require systems-level thinking and design rather than advancements in individual technologies.

“The ladder to success isn’t built on ongoing progress with a single technology. It’s built on matching technologies to specific scenarios and real-world needs.”

Meng believes future digital infrastructure will be “deeply integrated into every aspect of people’s lives, industry and society”.

She noted a shift in consumers’ “consumption models” had caused a chain reaction, creating an environment where buyers can also be sellers. Businesses, meanwhile, have embraced 5G, AI and the cloud, she said.

Meng argued 5G has become a new driver of productivity for industry.

“There’s greater alignment than ever between technology suppliers, their partners and customers on where 5G can provide the most value.”

She added the industry has good reason to believe 5G will continue to boost digital productivity.