As the COVID-19 crisis continues across the globe, network carriers need to be prepared in four areas to upgrade their services, says Ryan Ding, Executive Director and President of the Carrier BG, a subsidiary of Huawei.
Speaking at the Better World Summit 2020, Ding identified the four areas like the value of existing networks; user experience; speed up 5G commercialisation; and building future-oriented networks.
Value of existing networks
The value of existing networks needs to be maximised by carriers. Efforts need to be made to make the most of the networks and rapidly expand the capacity by using software or adding boards or replacing Remote Radio Units (RRUs). This can help them respond to the soaring data traffic during the pandemic and optimise site Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
User experience
Ding says carriers need to pay attention to user experience and build the best 5G networks. The reward for the best network experience is unquantifiable.
“In South Korea, for example, carriers are seeing lucrative gains from building the best 5G networks and offering users the best experience,” Ding said. “Huawei will continue to help carriers deliver the best possible user experience and quickly monetize 5G network capabilities.”
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Commercialisation of 5G
Carriers should do more to bring their 5G networks to paying customers, usually business-to-business. Ding says this is capable of unlocking new business opportunities. The B2B market holds the key to the commercial success of 5G. Carriers also need to push for unified industry standards to accelerate 5G adoption at scale in B2B. To achieve this, carriers would need to look out for the right industries.
According to Ding, private lines have become a quick-win use case for 5G in B2B, with more than 15 carriers having 5G private line services. Carriers can consider three factors when deciding which industries to focus on: industry attractiveness, commercial viability, and technical viability. The recommendation is for carriers to focus on mining, steel, ports, and oilfield industries when developing 5G in B2B.
Carriers that want to succeed also need to build 5G network planning, construction, maintenance, optimisation, and operations capabilities for B2B. They need to improve their network planning capabilities that target different production environments of industries and provide products and solutions that meet industry requirements. Also, they need to develop service and ecosystem enablement platforms, provide standardized products and services, and build viable business models.
Success also means carriers have to push for unified industry standards which are the basis for large-scale 5G development in B2B. cross-industry collaboration is well underway.
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Building future-oriented networks
Ding says the telecoms industry needs to think hard about how their networks can be adapted to the ever-changing needs of individuals, families, and businesses as well as how to support the
development of the digital economy. Huawei will continue to help carriers build future-oriented target networks to support their continued success.
