Hu calls for fresh mindset to address 5G challenges
Huawei deputy chairman Ken Hu (pictured) implored the mobile industry, authorities and enterprises to collaborate on creating an environment to accelerate the next stage of 5G development.
Hailing the success of early deployments of 5G since standards were finalised in 2018, Hu said 40 operators in more than 20 countries had launched 5G services as of mid-October. Early adopters, he added, had witnessed rapid consumer adoption and increased data usage, supported by a swathe of device launches.
Driving the next phase of development requires a “switch in mindset” was needed “not just for vendors and carriers but also for regulators”, Hu said.
“To make the most from 5G we have to work together to meet some real challenges: spectrum; site resource; and cross-industry collaboration,” he added.
Among the initiatives cited as necessary was “better, affordable spectrum”, including flexible pricing models and incentives for operators, which would lower initial capex and enable them to provide a higher standard of services.
Hu also touched on the importance of regulation to improve provisioning of network equipment, echoing statements made at the GSMA’s recent Mobile 360 Eurasia event in Russia.
Although much of the talk related to early 5G successes have centred on consumer adoption, Hu said there had also been many early industrial deployments. To realise further growth in this area, he called for cross-industry collaboration to “explore what works and what doesn’t” in terms of business cases and ultimately enabling 5G to “meet its full potential”.
“As an industry we need to have a fresh mindset from vendors and operators to build 5G success on collaboration and innovation,” Hu added.