ZTE Corporation CEO Xu Ziyang stated that in the two years since 5G was first launched over 1.1 million 5G base stations are in operation around the globe, delivering an improved user experience and also digital and intelligent transformation of verticals.
In his keynote address at the opening of Mobile World Congress 2021 Xu Ziyang said that 5G applications, with the large-scale commercial deployments of 5G networks, have entered into a period of iterative development.
Although challenges like ecological construction and business models need to be confronted with, the direction of innovation turns to be gradually clearer. ZTE, bolstered with over-two-year practices with the industry and ecological partners, has worked out three major application innovation directions and a digital empowerment foundation.
The three innovation directions of 5G applications cover, specifically, empowering individuals with 5G expanding the boundaries of senses and creating infinite possibilities, empowering target groups with 5G bridging the digital gap, and empowering industries with 5G to promote the fifth industrial revolution.
Meanwhile, the digital empowerment foundation has achieved breakthroughs in "ubiquitous broadband", "pervasive computing", "multi-dimensional convergence" and “green energy saving”, enabling strong interactions in real time, agile and innovative applications, maximum resource efficiency and sustainable development.
ZTE is currently working with Malaysian telecommunications company U Mobile to develop and test 5G use cases and applications in a variety of industries including medicine, tourism and gaming. U Mobile, backed with technical support by ZTE, became the first telecommunications company in Malaysia to allow customers to test 5G outside physical stores.
In October 2020, Malaysian operator Digi Telecommunications also announced its partnership with ZTE to upgrade its radio access network (RAN) which will give customers a better operating experience while ensuring the network is ready for 5G. ZTE’s cooperation with Digi has persisted for over a decade and includes a partnership to run the 5G OpenLab, a 5G-powered collaborative space in Cyberjaya where businesses, academics and developers can go to test new 5G use cases.
Since 2017, ZTE and Multimedia University (MMU) initiated a collaboration to jointly run the MMU-ZTE Training Centre at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET), MMU Melaka Campus. Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and network environment, the training centre aims to promote technological innovation and provide vocational training for MMU students.
Xu Ziyang commented that the company was willing to open these underlying capabilities to all industry and ecosystem partners, to embrace a win-win future.