MWC Shanghai 2024 saw Huawei take centre stage with a powerful showcase of its latest technological advancements, setting the tone for the mobile AI era.
Huawei’s presence at the event underscored its commitment to pushing the boundaries of 5G-A and AI integration, promising a transformative impact on the global mobile industry.
What is 5G-A or 5.5G?
5.5G technology, still evolving, builds on 5G’s foundation to improve network performance. It aims to provide download speeds up to 10 Gbps and upload speeds up to 1 Gbps.
It is said that in a 5.5G network and at Gigabit download speeds, the maximum delay will be 5 milliseconds.
Coverage and antenna of 5G networks will be strengthened and more capacities will be provided to connect hundreds of devices simultaneously to a mobile antenna.
New features like Perception are added.
Huawei has said it wants to develop 5.5G networks in six core areas:
- Spectrum reconstruction
- Increase Uplink
- Complete IoT scenario
- Synesthesia
- Independent driving network L4, plus Green and low carbon technology
5.5G is expected to offer enhanced capabilities, enabling telecom operators to secure growth opportunities in the enterprise sector.
Revolutionising Mobile AI with 5G-A
Huawei’s booth in SNIEC Hall N1 was a hub of activity, offering “Commercial 5G-A Experience Tours” and displaying state-of-the-art products and solutions designed to support commercial 5G-A deployment and AI devices.
When I visited the booth, I was amazed by the number of conference attendees gathered to witness firsthand the products of the Chinese tech giant.
Highlighting the successful collaboration with pioneering 5G-A operators worldwide, Huawei launched a joint initiative to foster high-quality mobile video development in the AI era.
David Wang, Huawei’s Executive Director of the Board and Chairman of the ICT Infrastructure Managing Board, delivered a keynote titled “Accelerating 5G-A and Shaping the Mobile AI Era.”
He emphasised the remarkable success of commercial 5G over the past five years and introduced 2024 as the dawn of the mobile AI era, driven by 5G-A and AI technologies.
Wang stated, “This era will transform not only human-machine interaction but also content production and mobile devices, revitalising society and creating opportunities for the mobile industry.”
Global 5G-A Pioneers Programme
At the Global Launch of the 5G-A Pioneers Programme, Huawei, alongside operators from China, the Middle East, and beyond, discussed strategies to drive the high-quality development of 5G-A networks. The programme’s launch marked a key milestone, with the first standards release for 5G-Advanced (3GPP Release-18) being officially frozen in Shanghai. David Wang highlighted the programme’s goals, saying, “5G-A will be the path forward. It will protect vested investment while creating new business opportunities by expanding business boundaries.”
The programme reached six specific consensuses with operators, focusing on promoting Pioneer Operators, Pioneer Cities, Business Model Upgrades, High-quality Networks, Service Innovation, and Thriving Ecosystems. These efforts aim to maximize the value of advanced 5G-A capabilities and propel the industry into a new era of intelligence.
Bringing AI to Networks
Eric Zhao, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei Wireless Solution, unveiled a groundbreaking plan to integrate AI into networks at the 5G-A & AI Roundtable. This initiative aims to build an ecosystem of RAN Intelligent Agents in collaboration with operators, enhancing network productivity and efficiency. Zhao stated, “Our goal is to bring AI to networks. We believe that the co-growth of RAN Intelligent Agent and networks will create more extensive business value, transform networks more rapidly, and lead our industry into a new era of intelligence.”
The RAN Intelligent Agent is designed to reshape network operations, optimise experience, and boost energy efficiency through multi-dimensional high-precision real-time sensing. This innovation promises to revolutionise network O&M, experience-driven service operations, and the overall productivity of mobile networks.
Maximising Value from 5.5G
Li Peng, Huawei’s Corporate Senior Vice President and President of ICT Sales & Service, discussed strategies for carriers to maximise the value of 5.5G during his keynote.
Li emphasised the importance of business model innovation and capability integration to deliver differentiated user experiences. He drew parallels to the aviation industry’s transition in the 1970s, suggesting that the mobile industry must also innovate supply to stimulate new and latent demand.
Li highlighted the potential of 5.5G to enhance B2B products and services, enabling carriers to offer SLA-guaranteed services and value-added offerings like intelligent edge services and high-precision positioning. He noted that 5.5G’s capabilities could significantly upgrade industry-specific private networks, extending network functionalities to core production systems and creating greater industrial value.

Huawei’s Digital Talent Development
In addition to its technological innovations, Huawei reaffirmed its commitment to digital talent development in Sub-Saharan Africa through its LEAP Programme.
Launched in April 2022, LEAP aims to equip students with essential digital skills to foster innovation and technological solutions within their communities.

Gao Xiang, President of Huawei’s Sub-Saharan Africa division, announced plans to train an additional 150,000 young people over the next three years, building on the success of training over 120,000 individuals ahead of schedule.
Xiang emphasised the critical role of ICT in driving Africa’s economic growth, stating, “Doubling down on digital talent development is crucial to unlocking Africa’s vast potential.” He called for close collaboration among industry leaders, stakeholders, and governments to advance digital skills across the region and empower its youth for a digitally intelligent future.
MWC Shanghai 2024 highlighted Huawei’s relentless pursuit of innovation and its vision for an intelligent, AI-driven future.
By spearheading advancements in 5G-A and AI integration, Huawei is poised to lead the global mobile industry into a new era of unprecedented connectivity, productivity, and opportunity.
The company’s efforts in digital talent development further demonstrate its commitment to fostering a digitally inclusive world and empowering the next generation to shape a promising digital future.
How Is 5.5g Better Than 5G?
In simple terms, 5.5G is an upgraded version of the 5G network, also known as 5G-Advanced or 5GA.
While 5G has nearly met smartphone needs with improved download and upload speeds, it has not significantly impacted the industrial sector, which requires lower latency, faster uploads, enhanced security, reliable performance, and lower power consumption.
5.5G could address these gaps and serve as a vital step towards 6G.