Feature
The Gist
- AI dominance. AI emerged as the central theme of MWC 2024, with generative AI highlighted as key technology for enhancing customer service and network management.
- New alliances. The formation of the AI-RAN Alliance marks a significant move towards integrating AI with radio access networks to improve efficiency and enable new services.
- Telecom innovations. The Global Telco Alliance’s focus on developing AI models for telecommunications signifies a push towards more personalized and efficient customer experiences.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated on March 13, 2024 to include new data and information. The original content was authored by Denise Casalez.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) took its show to Barcelona, Spain, at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via. The show kicked off Feb. 26 and lasted through the 29th.
The event featured notable speakers like Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, Peng Li, president of ICT sales and service at Huawei and many more. This year's theme? Future First.
The ULTIMATE tech buzz at #MWC24 ⚡ pic.twitter.com/tKMp8etSaK
— #MWC24 (@MWCHub) February 26, 2024
AI stole the show this year as one of the biggest topics. Some other biggest emerging trends at MWC, according to Margaret Lee, SVP and general manager, digital service and operations management at BMC, included intelligent customer and service assurance operations, communication service provider data operations and managing the emerging edge.
Artificial Intelligence Sets New Tone for Telcos
“The hottest topic right now is Generative AI — AI in general,” said Dan Hays, Telco Leader at PwC.
Generative AI, explained Hays, was built into many products, including network equipment that mobile network operators could use to better manage their business and the customer experience. These products, he added, improve call center operations and agent-assist AI/ intelligent chatbots that allow agents to find more information to serve customers.
“Within GenAI,” added Ignacio Hafner, managing director and partner at BCG, “customer service is probably the largest business opportunity for telcos, and it is so because it’s a linguistic task.”
In the next two years, he explained, advanced companies will be able to save 70% of the cost on customer service, with two elements having the most impact: pure automation (solving customer problems in a digital environment using no contact with humans) and augmenting the human frontline, giving tools and technologies to make them better agents, save time and resolve issues faster.
Related Article: How AI Is Revolutionizing the Customer Journey in 2024
Smartphones and Wearables Get AI Upgrades
Multiple new smartphones and wearables with baked-in AI debuted at MWC and are poised to change the way people communicate and search for information.
Chinese smartphone makers Honor and Xiaomi showcased new offerings like the Xiaomi 14, Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Honor Magic 6 Pro, which offer on-device generative AI that allows users to access features like AI photo editing to expand photos beyond their borders and eye-tracking to control the phones with just eye movements.
These announcements come on the heels of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, which launched in January. These latest Samsung phones offer capabilities like Circle to Search, where users can circle something on-screen to get instant access to Google Search results, real-time tone suggestions with the AI-powered Samsung Keyword, live translation in near real-time on text and phone calls and much more.
Beyond AI-powered smartphones, wearables also caused a stir at MWC. Humane showed off its AI pin, a wearable AI-powered assistant with a SIM card and no screen. Users can clip the pin to their shirt and talk to it, or use the built-in laser to project menus and text on their palms to interact with Wi-Fi settings and media playback controls.
Another big wearable featured at the event was Oppo's Air Glass 3, which aims to compete with Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. The Air Glass 3 connects to users' smartphones and allows them to access the company's Andes GPT large language model (LLM). Users can tap the sides of the glasses for controls, with the glasses able to play music, display information and take voice calls.
Tech Groups Debut New AI-RAN Alliance
Tech companies, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Nokia, T-Mobile and more, announced a new AI-RAN alliance at MWC with the goal of integrating artificial intelligence into cellular technology to further advance radio access networks (RAN) and mobile networks.
The new alliance will focus on three main areas:
- AI for RAN: Advancing RAN capabilities through AI to improve spectral efficiency
- AI with RAN: Integrating AI and RAN to use infrastructure more efficiently and generate new AI-driven revenue streams.
- AI on RAN: Deploying AI services at the network edge through RAN to increase operational efficiency and offer new services to mobile users.
“The formation of the AI-RAN Alliance marks a pivotal moment in the industry’s evolution towards a more open, software-driven, and AI-integrated future,” said Tommaso Melodia, William. L. Smith Professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of Northeastern University’s Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things.
This collaboration will fast-track the development of new services and use cases by leveraging the power of openness, softwarization and AI integration to enhance network performance, energy efficiency, spectrum sharing and security, he added.
New Joint Venture to Develop LLMs for Telecommunications
Members of the Global Telco Alliance — including SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, SoftBank Corp and others — unveiled a new venture focused on developing AI models optimized for telecommunications companies.
Digital assistants could be trained to provide more personalized customer experience, according to Alliance members, potentially boosting overall telecoms services to reach a global customer base of approximately 1.3 billion people spanning 50 countries.
Work is already underway on these telecoms-focused LLMs. Eric Davis, VP of Language Superintelligence Labs at SK Telecom, claimed they are working with academic researchers and language specialists and collaborating with experts in “different markets” to represent less-spoken languages.
5G Advanced Coming in 2024
Experts predict 5G connections to represent 51% of all mobile connections by 2029, allowing for a massive number of connected devices and actualizing the vision of Internet of Things (IoT) for the enterprise. Beyond 5G Standalone (SA) networks however, one hot topic at MWC this year was the rise of 5G Advanced.
The first official commercial deployment of 5G Advanced will come out this year in 2024, according to Barbara Pareglio, senior director at the GSMA.
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“We have new capabilities that are helping for different purposes. Like we will see more AI and machine learning integrated in the network.” This deployment will have big impacts on industries like manufacturing, healthcare and transportation, added Parelgio. GSMA Intelligence data also showed that deployment will be driven by priority use cases like 5G multicast services and low-cost IoT support.
Related Article: Consumer Trends: Jumping Into the New Tech Waves
Governments Sign Shared Principles for 6G Research
Multiple countries signed a joint statement endorsing principles for the research and development of 6G wireless communication systems at this year’s MWC. The initiative, led by the United States, was signed by Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
By working together, the statement claims, the countries can support “open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, resilient and secure connectivity,” something that will be indispensable toward a more inclusive, sustainable and peaceful future for all.
The joint statement outlines plans to advance research and development and standardization of 6G networks that fulfill the following principles:
- Trusted technology that is protective of national security
- Secure, resilient and protective of privacy
- Global industry-led and inclusive standard setting and internal collaborations
- Cooperation to enable open and interoperable innovation
- Affordability, sustainability and global connectivity
- Spectrum and manufacturing
Qualcomm Shows Off 6G Giga-MIMO Prototype
Qualcomm announced that it is working with spectrum regulators and wireless ecosystem leaders to explore the possible use of a new higher midband spectrum and make this band ready for 6G.
At MWC, the company debuted the enabling technology, an end-to-end system called Giga-MIMO, which is designed to operate in the 13 gigahertz (GHz) band. Giga-MIMO has a denser antenna array in the base station than the 5G massive MIMO and a more complex device baseband and radio frequency design.
Qualcomm is also exploring the 6G enablement of sub-terahertz (Sub-THz) spectrum, or bands above 100 GHz but under 300 GHz. Sub-THz will enable new cable-free use cases, including wireless augmented data centers for enterprises and wireless fiber to consumer homes.
HTC VIVE Becomes an Enterprise Product
HTC plans to compete with Meta and Apple with HTC VIVE, virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) systems for gaming, education and now business.
At MWC, the tech company debuted VIVE Business+, a service that will allow for the synchronization and management of multiple VIVE extended reality (XR) devices that the company claims will simplify remote monitoring, training, fleet management and content deployment.
HTC announced several improvements to its VIVE XR Elite product for business use, including AI voice assistants, auto meeting minutes and real-time translation in eight languages. Also new is the device’s use of Polygon Streaming technology, which can render highly-detailed 3D objects in the virtual world.
AI is now part of spatial computing, said Filip Sokolowski, lead knowledge analyst at BCG, changing how humans interact with computers and requiring novel approaches to user interfaces and experiences.
A lot of the advancements we see, he added, will be powering the workforce of tomorrow. “I don’t think this is replacing my laptop, at least for now, but in the very near future it might be.”
Intel Announces AI PCs for Business
Intel announced the new Intel vPro platform at MWC 2024, which it claims will unlock new AI PC benefits for small businesses all the way up to the enterprise. The new Core Ultra processor will offer dedicated AI acceleration capability spread across the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU) and new neural processing unit (NPU).
The company plans to release more than 100 notebook, 2-in-1 desktop and entry workstation designs from partners like HP, Lenovo, Acer, Dell, Samsung and more. According to Intel, organizations can expect up to 47% better office application productivity compared to a three-year old PC.
“The new Intel vPro platform with Intel Core Ultra continues to raise the bar across productivity, security, manageability and stability, to ensure IT organizations manage transitions with confidence,” said David Feng, Intel VP of Client Computing Group and general manager of Client Segments.
Feng added, “We are delivering new AI experiences with more than 100 software vendors, Windows 11 and Copilot. 2024 is shaping up to be the best year to refresh your fleet and be AI-ready.”
Microsoft Releases New AI Access Principles
The tech giant released its AI Access Principles at MWC to address its growing role and responsibility as an AI market leader.
According to Brad Smith, vice chair and president at Microsoft, these principles “commit Microsoft to bigger investments, more business partnerships, and broader programs to promote innovation and competition than any prior initiative in the company’s 49-year history.”
The company committed to 11 principles, which are shaped by five core tenets:
- Enable innovation and foster competition
- Meet obligations under the law
- Advance a broad array of AI partnerships
- Extend commitment to partnership to customers, communities and countries
- Be proactive and constructive
Related Article: 5 AI Ethics Questions Marketers Must Ask
Mobile World Congress Barcelona: Charting the Future
MWC 2024 showcased an inspiring blend of vision and innovation, affirming the telecommunication sector’s pivotal role in shaping our digital future. As we reflect on the event’s highlights — from groundbreaking advancements in AI to the launch of strategic new alliances and joint ventures — it’s clear that the industry stands on the cusp of transformative change.
