5G enables connectivity of everything. Since it was put into commercial use four years ago, 5G has redefined communications for billions of individual users, tens of millions of households, and a myriad of industries. Having firmly established itself as the foundation for the digital economy, the large-scale commercialization of 5G networks in recent years has promoted the upgrade of new services and scenarios, which in turn, has posed higher requirements on the network. Mercifully, 5.5G Intelligent Core has arrived at this juncture to overcome such higher network requirements.
5.5G moves one-step ahead of 5G by enabling the intelligent connectivity of everything. Since 5.5G came to the stage about two years ago, the technologies, ecosystems, and standards around it have been continuously blossoming. As the technical value and potential of 5.5G Intelligent Core is as clear as the light of day, all industry stakeholders believe that 2024 will witness the debut of commercial 5.5G. 5.5G Intelligent Core, at the center of 5.5G, is poised to enable interactive calling, 10 Gbps speeds, and experience-based operations, paving the way for the development of immersive and interactive services.
5.5G Intelligent Core helps carriers better monetize networks through service intelligence, network intelligence, and O&M Intelligence.
In terms of service intelligence, Huawei has made a head start with New Calling, which has been proven commercially viable in China. Under a “1+3+N” open network architecture, New Calling leverages the computing capabilities and bandwidth resources on the network side and introduces cutting-edge technologies, such as those related to intelligence. In this way, New Calling transforms conventional audio and video calling into ultra-HD, interactive, and intelligent communications, delivering a brand-new experience to individual users and also helping enterprises reduce costs and improve efficiency. In 2023, a Chinese carrier deployed a New Calling network, which can serve up to 50 million users across China. After the network was launched, the carrier saw an exponential growth of New Calling users, with one of its regional branches alone attracting as many as 20,000 users per day. In addition to New Calling, the InteractVideo solution also injects intelligence into home media services.
For network intelligence, Huawei has combined the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) centric intelligence plane of the core network with intrinsic intelligence of other core network NFs. This, in coordination with the next-generation gateway, has realized ubiquitous 10 Gbps speeds and experience-based operations. With network intelligence, the core network can sense and evaluate user experiences in real time, and dynamically adjust network capabilities to optimize experiences. In this way, network resources can be utilized more efficiently, and services can be better monetized based on differentiated experiences. All of this has been proven feasible in China with services including live streaming, cloud gaming, and online conferencing. Furthermore, the eUPF has been introduced, with its intelligence lying in flow forwarding and scheduling, making not only 10 Gbps possible, but also offering users an ultimate and unforgettable experience.
As for O&M intelligence, innovative technologies such as automatic orchestration, network-related foundation models, and digital twin have been introduced for agile delivery and high network resilience. Huawei’s ADN solution is built on top of this. In 2023, the ADN solution had been applied at China Mobile, stc in Saudi Arabia, and AIS in Thailand, gaining strong industry recognition and scooping numerous awards from Glotel and TM Forum.
MWC 2024 will run from February 26 to 29 in Barcelona, Spain. At this year’s MWC, Huawei will release innovative products and solutions related to the 5.5G Intelligent Core. Huawei calls on all industry partners to join hands, to define and foster a sustainable 5.5G ecosystem. Together, let’s fast-track the development and commercialization of 5.5G Intelligent Core and advance into an intelligent world.
