Power, Speed, Quality, and the Best Experience: Transitioning from 5G to 5.5G..

In the last two days of October, I experienced a rather exciting and surprising event in Istanbul.

The event organized by Huawei under the theme of transitioning from 5G to 5.5G satisfied visitors in every respect, and I must say that Istanbul made a good host. The MBBF and UBBF events held at the Halic Congress Center were filled with engaging content. The opening speech of the event was delivered by Ken Hu, Deputy Chairman of Huawei Technologies. The most striking part of his speech that stuck with me was this:

“…First, we need to make our networks stronger. Different applications will have different demands for connectivity. If we want to make AI available anytime, anywhere, and make it a viable business model, we need to upgrade network capabilities. Whether it’s for AI agents on your smartphone, autonomous vehicles, mobile robots, or real-time machine learning in factories, we’re going to see a lot more connections, and more challenging demands for uplink and latency…”

As a citizen of a country like Turkey that has not yet transitioned to 5G, I was particularly struck by the paragraph that resonated with my ongoing emphasis on how crucial the network's strength is.

The second speaker at the opening was Li Peng, who stated, "By 2030, most people will have a personal AI agent to help at home, work, and for travel. These assistants will work nonstop, generating and processing over 10 times more data than we do today," effectively highlighting the benefits and contributions that artificial intelligence will offer.

I found myself oscillating between the excitement generated by the opening speeches and exploring the fascinating AI solutions on the ground floor. I patiently awaited the end of the talks from country and company representatives explaining how 5G and 5.5G solutions will introduce us to a new world.

I’m glad I waited. The presentation by the EU representative was engaging in every respect.

"When we have the fastest or the strongest network, we also need to create the best experience," is what he emphasized. What this means is that it is not enough to have the right infrastructure and the fastest internet; you have to create unforgettable moments for users through value-added services and environmental contributions. This could include sharing the most detailed contents of a football match, a concert, or experiences in a city you visit for vacation with your loved ones.

A while ago I read a report about "the network experience in the EU". According to this report, among the cities in Europe that provide the best experiences for users are Berlin, Barcelona, and Paris. Having visited all three frequently, I can affirm the correctness of this ranking. I found it interesting that Lisbon rose to 4th place, surpassing Milan. Since I will be going to run a marathon in March 2025, I will have the opportunity to test it out personally. Just below Milan are Porto and Rome. Madrid, Munich, and London are at a "so-so" level. Honestly, I was surprised that a city like London ranked this low.

All the speakers mentioned that 5G opens up tremendous possibilities for converting experiences into revenue  while claiming we will discover seas of speed, continuity, data, voice, and multimedia that we were previously unaware of. In other words, we are transitioning from the fragmentation of single-dimensional traffic to the monetization of multidimensional experiences. Of course, this applies to applications for individual users.

Additionally, many technologies exhibited have caught the attention of MESS, which is making significant strides in end-to-end digitization in Turkey. Particularly, the robots from Boston Dynamics that greeted us in MESS's technology campus generated a lot of interest, being nearly as mobile as those machines. I can also say that with the continuity provided by 5.5G, they moved at a speed that would astonish us in terms of reaction time.

From what I observed, 5G and 5.5G will ensure that industry reaches peak productivity while offering dizzying diversity and speed for individual users to turn their sharing or experiences into profit. At this magnitude, it will be possible to create unimaginable productions with just the strength of the network without heavy reliance on hardware. While testing 5G and 5.5G with portable base stations at the Halic Congress Center’s dock, I could not help but saying myself,  "we also have to invest on this". I pray that Turkey and many emerging countries embrace the beauty of the 5g and 5.5 G soon. 

On the second day of the event, Yang Chaobin, Huawei's Board Member and President of ICT Products and Solutions, delivered a highly impactful speech. The most striking part of his speech, in my opinion, was:

"Two trends have emerged thanks to rapidly evolving 5.5G and AI technologies that will reshape industry and usher in an era of mobile AI. The first trend is Mobile going AI, where mobile internet services are being transformed by new service and business models. The second trend is AI going Mobile, where enormous business opportunities are being unlocked by new mobile services like smart vehicles and robots. These developments are creating new momentum and opportunities for both society and the mobile industry."

This means that the internet, once considered a choice, is now transforming from a service to a medium and will soon be capable of offering solutions for creating new business models. This will be made possible by 5.5G.

David Wang, Huawei's Executive Director of the Board and Chairman of the ICT Infrastructure Managing Board, emphasized the following truth: "The Fourth Industrial Revolution has been progressing rapidly thanks to AI, with AI becoming a major driver of global economic growth. Widespread commercial use of AI is accelerating, and new applications for personal use, enterprise efficiency, and smart homes are disrupting multiple markets. It is also driving communications network upgrades in terms of capacity, latency, and architecture."

Thus, it can be concluded that if the network is not strong, it is impossible to establish an efficient model. Continuity and speed are essential for transitioning from Industry 4.0 to 5.0 in a direct sense. Huawei and its partners around the world have decided to demonstrate this truth rather than just articulate it. The quality of the event held in a convention center in a large and challenging metropolis like Istanbul was quite high, attended by not only Turks but also many foreigners. With the Golden Horn on one side and the centuries-old historical view on the other, we lost track of time within this modern congress center hidden in such a rich habitat.

I can’t wait for the next one. 

 
Prof. Alkin