PARTNER CONTENT: Digital economy, as the trend of development, has become the key driving force for the sustained and stable growth of global economy. As the most effective bridge for information communication and services, communication networks play a key role in supporting and guaranteeing the development of digital economy.

Mr. Hong Gongcun, Vice President of ZTE, shared his views on how superb networks improve the network quality and value of operators in the digital economy era.

  1. Why communication networks are increasingly important in the digital economy era?

As the most effective bridge for information communication and services, communication networks play a key role in supporting and guaranteeing the development of digital economy. Network delivery under the epidemic faces many challenges, such as limited time, space restrictions, and higher human resource requirements. Building a high-quality communication network and maximizing its value has become the constant concern of global telecom operators.

  1. How do you think to improve the network quality and value for CSPs?

With the gradual expansion of 5G network construction globally, operators’ networks are becoming more and more complex. As 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks co-exist, network maintenance costs remain high. Meanwhile, network deployment under the epidemic faces many challenges, such as limited time, space restrictions, and higher human resource requirements. Building a high-quality communication network and maximizing its value to support the development of the digital economy and promote the connection of all parties has become one of the constant concerns of global telecom operators.

We adheres to making things simpler for our customers, but keeping complexities to ourselves. It has always been the pursuit of the communication industry to make communication network deployment easier through digital and intelligent tools and systems, thus achieving the goal of deploying high-quality networks in a smooth and rapid manner.

Based on years of experience in communication network deployment, Based on the concept of digital network deployment, we initiated superb network construction solution, aiming at optimal user experience and constantly pursuing a leading position in network technologies and quality.

  1. Could you share the highlights of superb network construction solution?

Superb network construction goes with the entire process of network construction and operation. Starting from network planning, it is based on network performance improvement, focuses on user perception, and finally achieves service growth and profit increase for operators. ZTE’s superb network construction includes four phases: basic network deployment, value network evaluation and improvement, user experience improvement, and operator service growth.

Aiming at the network features and requirements of different operators, by relying on ZTE’s leading digital network deployment solution, tools and systems, the superb network construction team provides customized network performance improvement solutions. We actively introduce big data tools into our solutions, and through functions such as coverage evaluation, network coverage comparison, antenna feeder detection, virtual drive test, and intelligent optimization, we provide powerful guarantee for achieving the objectives of superb network construction.

We summarize the highlights of the solution into three aspects.

Firstly, the superb network construction accomplishes the full process of network deployment and operation. Starting from network planning, with network performance improvement as the basis, it focuses on user perception and finally helps the customer achieve service growth.

Secondly, we can provide personalized, differentiated, and intelligent network performance improvement solutions in accordance with operators’ network features and requirements.

Thirdly, ZTE introduces intelligent big data platforms. Through functions such as coverage evaluation, multi-network coverage comparison, antenna feeder detection, virtual drive test and intelligent automatic optimization, this solution provides powerful guarantee for achieving the objective of superb network construction.

  1. How does the intelligent tool system perform in improving network quality?

By using intelligent tools, ZTE provides full life-cycle services covering network planning, construction, maintenance, operation and optimization, to build superb networks for customers.

For example, based on big data and value models, the wireless precise planning platform SmartHippo supports intelligent planning, and realizes better coverage and higher capacity with less site investment. With the UniDeploy, an app on mobile phone, site commissioning becomes more convenient. With the automatic drive test tool WNG, the site survey and verification can be performed automatically, accelerates the network deployment. The intelligent O&M tools NIA and NGI support alarm and KPI root cause analysis, automatic coverage optimization, and network GIS (Geographic Information System) visualization, improve the efficiency of network O&M and optimization. The AI-based platform VMAX supports user and service perception analysis, end-to-end fault analysis, and user complaint handling, it is powerful for user experience improvement.

  1. Could you share some cases of how ZTE helps boost network value with its superb network construction solution for CSPs?

Operators continuously improve network infrastructure construction and network quality, and keep a leading network quality to improve their brand value.

ZTE delivers not only high-quality products, but also superb networks and services. ZTE has built superb networks together with a number of operators, at the speed of building averagely 20 sample superb networks each year in the recent 10 years. The superb networks help operators improve network quality and user perception in over 100 countries and regions.

In the overseas market, many networks that we deployed, such as Hutchison Drei Austria, MTN South Africa, Telkomsel Indonesia, AIS Thailand, WindTre Italy, have ranked first in various third-party tests, such as Ookla, Umlaut (P3), R&S and Opensignal. These results help to boost brand value, promote user development, and increase revenues for operators.

Hutchison Drei Austria owns the largest scale LTE network in the country. It’s also the pioneer in 5G era. In June 2019, Hutchison Drei Austria first put the 5G network into commercial use in Linz, the state of Austria. In September 2021, Hutchison Drei won the Ookla Speedtest’s fastest 5G mobile network award for its high-quality 5G network.

In China, ZTE has jointly built 5G benchmark networks with operators in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other first-tier cities, achieving ultra-gigabit continuous coverage experience, facilitating digital transformation and economic development for industry partners. In 2021, multiple projects won the Excellent Project Award organized by  China Association of Communication Enterprises.

  1. What the future plan for superb network construction?

In 2022, ZTE will continue to participate in the design and standard construction of  autonomous networks, and works with global operators to carry out commercial practice in this field.ZTE uSmartNet solution provides operators with agile operation and intelligent O&M services. We will continue to provide diversified tools to achieve efficient delivery of new networks and intelligent O&M of existing networks, achieve faster troubleshooting and closed-loop self-healing, promoting the evolution of the network from L2 partial autonomous network, to L3 conditional autonomous network and L4 high autonomous network.

Focusing on customers’ value, ZTE is committed to provide high-quality and efficient mobile services for customers around the world. We will continue to make innovation to achieve better user experience and network efficiency, and to build cost-effective networks to helping operators improve network value and achieve service growth in the digital economy era.