PRESS RELEASE: The 5.5G Industry Summit, with the theme “Bring 5.5G into Reality”, was successfully held during the Huawei Global Analyst Summit 2023. Keynote speeches were delivered by a stellar lineup that included Wu Hequan, Chairman of Future Mobile Communication Forum; Gan Bin, Vice President & CMO of Wireless Solution Huawei; Ding Haiyu, Deputy General Manager of China Mobile Research Institute; and Alan Loh, Innovation & Solutions Executive General Manager of Zain KSA, etc. They highlighted the fact that the 5.5G (5G-Advanced/5G-A) industry has entered a stage of deep convergence between clear business scenarios and a rapidly maturing 5.5G industry chain.

Gan Bin, the Vice President & CMO of Wireless Solution Huawei, stated that 5.5G is just around the corner and will result in new breakthroughs and development regarding mobile networks, while also creating endless possibilities for the future of smart living and digital economy. As the industry chain and business scenarios get ready, network experience has shifted from 1.0 marked by ubiquitous gigabit to 2.0 marked by 5.5G’s 10 Gbit/s downlink, Gbit/s uplink, and deterministic experience. 10 Gbit/s and deterministic experience will upgrade network deployment. Ultra-large bandwidth spectrum and ELAA-MM across all bands will, in turn, support this and play a crucial role in enabling rapid network deployment. 100 billion connections will soon become a reality. The transition from IoT 1.0 to IoT 2.0 will require an upgrade of high-speed and high-value connections (5G NR) to “all-scenario connections”. This will enable ubiquitous all-factor connections across all scenarios and processes. The RedCap industry is maturing and commercial IoT applications are scaling up in a bid to support 100 billion connections. Meanwhile, the passive IoT industry is undergoing rapid development as it strives to enable all-scenario connections and fully-connected factories. In addition, Harmonized Communication and Sensing (HCS) technologies are providing even more connections and enhanced capabilities which can create new businesses for operators.

Academician Wu Hequan believes 5.5G to be the link between 5G and 6G. By tapping into the potential that commercial 5G has not fully unleashed and enabling new industrial and AR/VR applications that can take the world by storm for 2025 and beyond, 5.5G helps unlock new potential in 5G and innovate for 6G to create huge benefits for our economy and society.

China Mobile, one of the world’s largest 5G operators, has a keen focus on 5G-A development. Ding Haiyu, Deputy General Manager of China Mobile Research Institute, shared his insights on how the company facilitates the commercialization of 5G-A. Ding explained that China Mobile’s 5G-A strategy takes advantage of 3 lines of development, 10 key technologies, and a “double-chain” integration mechanism. The lines of development include high-quality, intelligent and simplified networks, and green, efficient goals, while the double-chain mechanism incorporates technology and innovation chains. Through this strategy, China Mobile has driven 5G-A evolution and significant industry development, while accelerating industry digitalization through the introduction of new technologies such as intelligent and simplified networks, native deterministic functions, HCS, and passive IoT. China Mobile is also reportedly building collaborative innovation bases and special laboratories for 5G-A, aiming to create open and shared R&D, testing, and demonstration environments for new technologies and products. China Mobile is committed to working alongside its industry partners to promote the mature commercial use of 5G-A.

Alan Loh, Innovation & Solutions Executive General Manager of Zain KSA, delivered a keynote speech entitled “5.5G Enriching Digital Life and Beyond”. During this speech, he discussed how Zain KSA believes that the 10 Gbit/s deterministic experience offered by 5.5G can support the upgrading of the FWA business and bring new business services to all customers.

During the summit, Zhou Mingli, Director of Haier Clothing Network Global Ecological Supply Chain, Rick Sun, Vice General Manager of ZhenXiang Technology, and Andrew Li, CEO of MaxWave Microelectronics, delivered keynote speeches on how key 5.5G technologies are enhancing experience and accelerating the rate at which the industry chain is maturing. Zhou Mingli said that 5.5G IoT has set out to take smart manufacturing to new heights by empowering innovative digital management over full product lifecycle. Rick Sun shared her views on the booming development of immersive display terminals. She mentioned that light field technology provides higher resolutions and super dense viewpoints. It is a critical technology for premium 3D experience along with 5.5G’s ultra-high uplink and downlink bandwidth and deterministic latency. Andrew Li said that mature 5G-A passive chips are almost here and the 5G-A terminal industry is rapidly maturing. More and more commercial scenarios will be explored as passive devices are mass produced and commercialized.

After three years of rapid development, 5.5G has entered the next stage, in which the rapidly maturing industry chain and more clear business scenarios are converging. Looking ahead, all industry players will continue working together to bring 5.5G into reality.