China Mobile's Huang Yuhong: China Mobile will be a pioneer in 5G empowerment of various industries

On August 8, Huang Yuhong, deputy director of China Mobile Research Institute, stated at the "New Momentum 'Shaan' Shining 5G Smart City Forum and 5G Private Network Innovation Results Release Event" that China Mobile has done a lot of work in five aspects: demand definition, standard setting, technological innovation, industry construction, and vertical industry application expansion, effectively promoting the maturity and development of the 5G end-to-end industry.

01China Mobile has become the backbone of global 5G development

Huang Yuhong pointed out that China Mobile started its 5G research and development work very early, and through years of hard work has developed into the backbone of global 5G. It is a 5G demand target setter, international standard promoter, key technology developer, end-to-end industry builder, and a pioneer in empowering various industries.

Standards are the commanding heights of industrial development. China Mobile took the lead in proposing the "Flower of 5G", and peak rate, experience rate, density, etc. are the goal orientations for global 5G development. China Mobile's contribution to international standards ranks among the top in the world, submitting more than 2,700 standard proposals and more than 1,000 patent applications, ranking among the top operators in the world. "The deeper the grasp of technology, the better we can do." Huang Yuhong said.

In terms of technology, China Mobile has led the development of 5G key technologies. For example, 5G uses TDD technology. As the operator with the most TDD technology accumulation and strong R&D capabilities in the world, China Mobile has promoted TDD technology to become the core foundation and mainstream direction of the 5G system, and led the design industry to develop 5G key technologies.

At the same time, China Mobile has carried out disruptive innovation in the integration of CT and IT. In the past, mobile communication networks were connection-oriented and deterministic closed networks. In the 5G era, China Mobile proposed a service-based network architecture to make the network more open. In addition, China Mobile has also proposed a new cloud-based and virtualized network architecture for the core network and an SPN solution for the transmission network, as well as the development of large-scale antennas and the first application in 4G.

02Build a high-quality end-to-end industrial chain in multiple dimensions

The formulation of technologies and standards is to enable the industry to develop better. In order to build a high-quality 5G end-to-end industry chain in multiple dimensions, China Mobile uses SA as the target architecture to build an agile and efficient 5G basic network.

First, technology, using massive antenna technology to improve wireless performance, promote new core networks and transport networks, and develop flexible and customizable advanced infrastructure;

Second, capabilities, which will accelerate the maturity of new 5G capabilities, including edge computing, network slicing, and smart orchestration;

The third is service, opening up the 5G network and realizing 5G "network as a service" for vertical industries.

Terminals are the final foothold for end customers to experience 5G. Huang Yuhong believes that 5G terminals require not only smartphones, but also terminals in various forms such as data, terminals, modules and pan-terminals. China Mobile will help build the network environment through open laboratories and accelerate the maturity of the industry through experimental tests. At the same time, in order to enable the industry to develop better, China Mobile also promotes the industry to more actively promote the commercial use of 5G terminals through capital leverage, procurement, subsidies and other means.

The industry is looking forward to 5G empowering vertical industries, but different industries and businesses have different requirements for 5G networks. In order to meet the different needs of mass customers and industry customers, China Mobile has planned a series of scenario-oriented 5G network slicing templates based on industry needs, and released six types of network slicing templates for scenarios such as power grid, interaction, banking, medical care, and Internet of Vehicles.

Huang Yuhong admitted that slicing technology is a new and relatively complex technology, and it still requires the continued efforts of industry partners to jointly promote the final commercial application. "This year we plan to promote the commercialization of several slices." Huang Yuhong said.

As we all know, edge computing, like network slicing, is also one of the important capabilities of 5G. Huang Yuhong said that edge computing is a catalyst for the integration and innovation of CT, IT and OT, and is a key enabling technology for the systematic transformation and development of future networks.

China Mobile is actively promoting the maturity and application development of the 5G edge computing industry. China Mobile has a strong network infrastructure, both in terms of transmission resources and computer room resources. It has also planned some computer room nodes across the country as future edge computing hosting sites, including in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Anhui, Gansu, Sichuan, Guangdong and other places.

03Explore application demonstrations and create a large-scale commercial ecosystem

In terms of 5G applications, China Mobile was the first telecom operator to realize that 5G should not only serve large individual customers, but also penetrate into vertical industries.

In recent years, China Mobile has covered important urban nodes in the country's strategic and locational layout, such as the east, middle and west, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and Free Trade Demonstration Zone in 12 cities across the country, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Zhengzhou, and Lanzhou. It has undertaken major events and activities such as the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, the World Horticultural Exposition, and the China-ASEAN Expo, forming a good industrial foundation and a huge demonstration effect.

In 2016, China Mobile took the lead in the world to initiate the establishment of the 5G Joint Innovation Center, hoping to maintain good communication between the communications industry and all walks of life and promote joint innovation by building a cooperation platform.

Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. "Only by understanding each other's needs and technologies can the communications industry be integrated with vertical industries and truly implement cross-industry 5G innovative applications." Huang Yuhong emphasized. At present, China Mobile has been widely recognized by the industry and has more than 500 cross-industry partners in different fields, including Internet of Vehicles, drones, VR, AI, etc. China Mobile has also built open laboratories and industry alliances around the world.

Huang Yuhong said that China Mobile's goal is to focus on 14 key industries in the next one or two years, and build end-to-end solutions with commercial conditions for 100+ vertical industries based on 100+ demonstration applications. These are no longer concept demonstrations, but are based on industry needs and discussions, as well as commercial deployment applications that realize multi-faceted integration in real environments under the current network level and terminal capabilities.

The 5G+ plan released by China Mobile in June this year will further promote 5G to truly become the main artery of social information flow, an accelerator for industrial transformation and upgrading, and a new cornerstone for building a digital society.

To implement the 5G+ plan, China Mobile proposed 5G NaaS, which aims to create a new type of 5G network as a service. "Especially for vertical industries, we will adhere to the concept of 'providing customized services with users as the center', and provide 5G private network services for both closed and open scenarios by using six innovative means: universal terminals, coordinated spectrum, hierarchical isolation, customized services, diversified capabilities, integrated delivery and intelligent operation and maintenance, so that 5G can enter thousands of industries as soon as possible and truly change society," said Huang Yuhong.