Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu has said that 5G has become a cross-cutting driver for growth, making many sectors commercially viable.
Speaking during the 14th Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) being held in Dubai, Mr. Hu noted that the capabilities of 5G have given great access to mobile service providers to improve their B2B solutions while giving sectors such as the mines and manufacturing commercial viability.
“Clearly 5G has become a new growth engine for mobile operators and I think the biggest difference is that 5G capabilities gave the industry a great opportunity to gain access into B2B markets. After 4 years, we have identified some key scenarios such as remote-controlled machines and we have also identified sectors such as mining and manufacturing where we can scale up commercial capabilities” Mr. Hu said.
The Chairman also pointed out that 5G has grown from trial to become commercially viable, adding that the world has at least 260 5G networks covering almost half of the global population. He also revealed that there are nearly 1.5 billion 5G users in the world currently and that the adoption of 5G is better than 4G.
Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA backed Hu’s sentiments adding that the participation of non-tech companies such as fintech, aviation in 5G is more than 50% as they equally want to understand how they can leverage its capabilities. Mr. Granryd explained that 5G is a good run and will be even be a better run in the coming years.
Even though 5G roll out is in its budding stages in Zambia, the appetite to deploy it on a large scale especially by telco’s like MTN remains assuring. In January 2023, MTN Zambia launched the first ever commercial 5G in Zambia, promising to transform businesses and livelihood beyond simple connectivity. There statement read.
With countries like Botswana already exploring 5G capabilities in the mining sector, there is no doubt that 5G equally presents a great opportunity for Zambia’s extractive industry.
Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe are among the pioneers of 5G internet in Africa.
This year’s MBBF delves into insights that makes the industry understands why there should be massive acceleration to 5G deployment.
The MBBF originally started in Oslo in 2012, since then it has been an annual event that provides a platform for the captains of the industry to discuss mobile communications at length and also share best insights and trends across the world. This year’s forum will incorporate both online and onsite activities, providing an exciting opportunity for players in the mobile and adjacent vertical ecosystems to explore 5G business success, promote ecosystem maturity, and accelerate 5.5G commercialization.
