At the 10th Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF 2024) held in Istanbul, Huawei’s optical business product line president, Bob Chen, took the stage to discuss the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the telecom industry. In his keynote, titled “Build AI-Centric F5.5G All-Optical Network for New Growth,” Chen highlighted Huawei’s commitment to transforming optical network infrastructure to meet the rising demands of AI applications.
Chen set the tone by stating, “AI is quickly becoming indispensable,” and noted how it is transforming various industries and consumer experiences, from travel planning to code generation and quality inspection. With over 1,300 AI foundation models in use globally, he predicted a future where “some carriers will transform into AI all-service providers,” while others collaborate with third-party providers to deliver AI-powered services.
Chen stressed that telecom carriers will need networks capable of handling AI’s requirements, which include high bandwidth, low latency, and reliability. “AI device-cloud synergy and intelligent computing require advanced network infrastructure. Huawei is continuously innovating F5.5G in optical transmission, optical access, and the management and control platform to build AI-centric all-optical networks,” he explained.
Huawei is driving this transformation in several ways. In optical transmission, the company’s all-optical switching technology is being extended to data centers and metro edges, offering improved scalability and energy efficiency. Huawei’s data center solution now supports extensive AI operations, with expanded capacity for millions of cards and a 20% reduction in failure rates thanks to optical module-free deployment.
In metro areas, Huawei’s approach to reducing latency is also pushing boundaries. “Huawei helps carriers build latency circles as low as 1ms through mesh networking, delivering seamless AI experiences,” Chen shared. So far, over 50 global carriers have adopted Huawei’s metro edge optical switching, building ultra-low-latency networks ideal for AI applications.
Turning to the field of optical access, Chen outlined three primary ways for telecom carriers to monetize fixed broadband: coverage, bandwidth, and experience. For coverage monetization, Huawei is focused on expanding fiber reach, with solutions like QuickConnect ODN and AirPON enabling faster deployment to the 28% of global users who still lack access to fiber networks.
Bandwidth monetization, on the other hand, involves upgrading existing fiber broadband to gigabit speeds to unlock its full potential. Meanwhile, experience monetization leans on Huawei’s fiber-to-the-room (FTTR) technology, a solution already adopted by over 30 million users worldwide to ensure optimal connectivity throughout homes and offices.
Huawei is also leveraging AI to enhance network management. Through digital twins and AI models, the company’s management and control platform aims to improve both user experience and operational efficiency. Huawei’s Premium Broadband solution, for instance, enables fault diagnosis within minutes, reducing customer complaints by 30%. Its Premium Transmission solution accelerates the launch of new services, cutting time-to-market from months to mere hours.
Chen concluded his presentation by looking to the future, saying, “The next decade will witness the fast popularization of AI. Huawei hopes to work with industry partners to build an AI-centric F5.5G all-optical network to accelerate AI popularization and achieve new business growth in the intelligent era.” His vision underscores Huawei’s belief in the transformative potential of AI-powered networks, setting the stage for new growth and innovation in the telecom industry.
