The Core Network Industry Salon with the theme "Intelligence Reshapes Business" was wrapped up in Istanbul, Türkiye, during the 15th Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF 2024). With the rapid advancement of AI technologies and 5G-A intelligent core networks, global operators are facing a mobile AI era where experience monetization is greatly valued, and using intelligence for business is now a crucial industry trend. In this context, more than 120 experts from the global core network industry attended the salon, discussing how intelligent technologies can help operators transition from the Connection of Everything to the Intelligent Connection of Everything and promote innovation in business operations and network O&M models.
Group photo of industry representatives at the salon
Richard Liu, President of Huawei ICT Marketing & Solution Sales Department, kicked off the salon with the opening remarks. He stated that this year marks the inaugural commercial use of 5G-A and the first year of on-device AI, and the combination of network and AI technologies is accelerating the development towards the mobile AI era. Richard highlighted that integrating AI foundation models and agents with the core network enables network intelligence, service intelligence, and O&M intelligence to achieve beyond just connections with the 5G-A Intelligent Core. This integration can build unified entries for services, experience monetization, and network O&M, helping operators seize service opportunities and reshape operation models in the AI era. Among the three intelligences, network intelligence provides differentiated service experiences, helping operators shift from traffic monetization to experience monetization, and reshape business models; O&M intelligence reconstructs the O&M framework and provides a unified O&M entry, improving efficiency and ensuring high network stability and performance.
Huawei's Richard Liu giving opening remarks
Pablo Iacopino, Head of Research and Commercial Content, GSMA Intelligence, delivered a speech on "5G Development Trends and Integration of AI and Networks", saying that with the development of 5G-A and mobile AI technologies, intelligence will be introduced into 5G core networks. New capabilities and business models, such as experience-based monetization, interactive immersive services, and more autonomous networks, can help operators generate new revenues and increase cost efficiency.
GSMA Intelligence's Pablo Iacopino making his speech
Pan Guixin, Chief Innovation Officer from China Unicom Guangdong, delivered a speech, introducing their experience monetization practices. By harnessing the power of AI and big data analytics, China Unicom Guangdong is revolutionizing market segmentation, delivering tailored user experiences through different approaches, and in doing so driving unprecedented business growth. For example, they released a 5G live streaming package in response to the rising demands for large-volume traffic and high uplink rates of live streaming users. They launched the U Mobile Intranet solution, which allows mobile users to remotely access their home and enterprise intranets. The solution directly bridges mobile networks and home/enterprise intranets, achieving the industry's first 5G fixed-mobile convergence and improving user experiences by a staggering tenfold. With the advent of the AI era, China Unicom Guangdong will fully utilize AI and big data to further explore innovative intelligent business approaches, such as personalized package design and precise promotion based on market segmentation and experience monetization.
China Unicom's Pan Guixin presenting his speech
Jake Saunders, Vice President of Asia-Pacific & Advisory Services from ABI Research, delivered a speech titled "O&M Intelligence: The Role of AI/GenAI in Core Network O&M Digital Transformation." Drawing from ABI Research's extensive research in the autonomous networks (AN) industry, he believed that AI and GenAI can facilitate the digital transformation of core network O&M, along the entire lifecycle of the core network, including planning, construction, maintenance, optimization, and operations. Saunders also offered insights on the deployment of AI/GenAI, recommending a phased approach. He suggested starting with small models to address simple tasks such as single-point issues, status visualization, and simulation & evaluation, thereby streamlining the O&M process. As technology evolves, operators can turn to the collaboration between large and small models for self-closed-loop management in maintenance, optimization, and operations, significantly enhancing O&M personnel's efficiency. At the final phase, they can rely on mature large models. The integration of automated analysis and decision-making capabilities of large models offers enhanced processing capabilities for complex fault diagnosis and risk prediction, leading to more mature and intelligent O&M.
ABI Research's Jake Saunders speaking to the audience
During the salon, operators and industry representatives discussed and shared with the attendees on the topics of "Network intelligence reshapes the business operation mode" and "O&M intelligence reshapes the network operation mode".
n All industry parties agree that the 5G-A era is a golden time for operators to renovate their business models through experience monetization. Pioneering operators shared their explorations on experience monetization. They believe that intelligence is a must and enables core networks to understand user attributes, monitor running status, and evaluate service experiences. Then with an entry provided for users, they can finally achieve business success.
n As cloud-native technologies evolve, the complexity of the core network continues to grow, making O&M intelligence increasingly essential. AI technologies, including large models, can be leveraged in core network O&M to improve automation and intelligence in key areas such as fault detection, troubleshooting, service rollout, complaint handling, network assurance, and risk prediction. This transformation is further accelerated by GenAI, which plays a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency of core network O&M.
Panel discussion
George Gao, President of Huawei Cloud Core Network Product Line, delivered the closing remarks at the salon. He drew a conclusion from the speeches and panel discussions that the 5G-A intelligent core network not only enhances connections but also builds three intelligence-driven entries beyond connections. These help operators seize service opportunities in the AI era and reshape operational models. Specifically, network intelligence reshapes business models with a unified experience monetization entry, transforming from "users look for networks" to "networks find users"; O&M intelligence maximizes efficiency with a unified O&M entry and multifaceted digital employees.
Huawei's George Gao delivering closing remarks
The Core Network Industry Salon provided a platform for inspiring discussions and insights on the application scenarios and objectives of the 5G-A intelligent core network empowered by 5G-A and AI technologies. The event explored how operators can achieve intelligent connectivity in the mobile AI era, create new business value, and accelerate the evolution towards an intelligent world.