At the Global MBB Forum 2024 (MBBF 2024), the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) officially launched its global recruitment drive for the Intelligent RAN, Ubiquitous AI Project, which forms a vital part of the 5G-A×AI Development Program. This project is designed to accelerate the symbiotic relationship between 5G-A (5G-Advanced) and AI technologies, enhancing the development of intelligent applications and the convergence of these two transformative fields.
The initiative is supported by a broad coalition of world-leading operators, tech giants, and industry partners, including the GSMA, China Mobile, Telefónica, AIS, HKT, Zain, Leju Robot, and Huawei. Through this collaboration, these organizations aim to explore cutting-edge technologies, discover innovative applications, and unlock new business opportunities in the rapidly growing intersection of 5G and AI.
Driving 5G-A and AI Integration: GTI's Strategic Vision
Since the commercialization of 5G, the global network has rapidly expanded, with 5.94 million 5G base stations now deployed worldwide, supporting 1.87 billion 5G users. This rapid growth has paved the way for 5G-A, which is now also being leveraged for commercial use and to create significant value across various sectors. The fusion of 5G-A and AI is poised to transform industries further, enabling new capabilities such as intelligent applications, multi-modal interactions, and enhanced automation.
In May 2024, the GTI launched the 5G-A×AI Development Program to accelerate the integration of 5G-A and AI. The program aims to explore new applications, generate business value, and catalyze the development of the Mobile AI industry. The GTI, an influential international cooperation platform founded in 2011, has grown to include 146 operators and 262 industry partner members. Looking ahead, the GTI will focus on driving integrated innovation across the 5G-A and AI ecosystems, supporting the digital and intelligent transformation of economies and societies, and uncovering new revenue opportunities to fuel industry growth.
Since its inception, the 5G-A×AI Development Program has gained broad support, attracting over 20 operators and partners from across Asia, the Americas, and Europe. These members have been instrumental in advancing core tasks, establishing open innovation labs, and contributing to developing use cases for the 5G-A×AI integration. These collaborative efforts are centered on creating a more open and connected ecosystem that fosters the development of practical, scalable AI-powered 5G applications.
The program explores high-value use cases for innovative and digital solutions in various scenarios, including daily life, heavy industry, energy, transportation, and utilities. Based on the successful integration of past 5G-A and AI projects, practical business model templates were developed to benchmark value creation and monetization.
Related: GTI Initiates Global Recruitment for Intelligent RAN, Ubiquitous AI Project
Milestones and Breakthroughs in 5G-A×AI Innovation
The 5G-A×AI Development Program has already made significant strides in advancing the integration of 5G-A and AI technologies, with several key achievements that highlight the program's collaborative spirit and innovative approach. These initiatives aim to push the boundaries of what’s possible in network optimization, AI-driven applications, and cross-industry cooperation.
Open Labs for 5G-A×AI Innovation: One of the foundational pillars of the program is the establishment of four open labs designed to facilitate hands-on experimentation and the integration of 5G-A and AI. These labs are set up as collaborative environments where industry leaders, researchers, and developers can explore new applications and technologies in real-world settings. The labs provide essential resources, including specialized equipment, tailored environments, and industry-specific application scenarios, to enable seamless AI in Radio Access Networks (RAN) and RAN for AI integration. This initiative not only fosters innovation but also ensures that participants have access to the tools needed to tackle complex challenges and test new concepts in a practical, scalable manner.
Collaborative Innovation with the GSMA Foundry: In September 2024, the GTI joined forces with the GSMA Foundry to launch a series of innovative "challenges" aimed at addressing key barriers in the integration of 5G-A and AI. This strategic partnership is designed to foster collaborative innovation and accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies by encouraging global participants to develop solutions that can shape the future of telecom. The challenges, which span multiple phases, are set to explore a range of pressing issues, with the first challenge already underway and more to come in 2025.
The New Calling x AI Challenge, which is currently open for submissions, will integrate AI into calling services to enhance user experiences, improve connectivity, and unlock new capabilities. This challenge invites participants to develop cutting-edge solutions that leverage AI to redefine traditional calling experiences, from improving voice clarity and network efficiency to introducing smart features that personalize and optimize the calling process. Looking ahead, the Wireless Network Intelligence Challenge, will explore innovative applications of AI to enhance the intelligence of wireless networks. The goal is to drive network optimization, improving efficiency and adaptability while addressing challenges in scaling connectivity and managing growing data demands.
These initiatives are pivotal in advancing 5G-A and AI convergence, as they provide a platform for industry leaders, developers, and innovators to collaborate and solve complex problems. Through this partnership, the GTI and GSMA Foundry are not only accelerating the development of AI-driven telecom solutions, but also helping to unlock the full potential of 5G-A in shaping the future of global communication networks.
Exploring High-Value Use Cases: Another critical initiative within the program is the exploration of high-value use cases that demonstrate the potential of 5G-A×AI integration across various sectors. The program examines applications in daily life, heavy industry, energy, transportation, and municipal management to identify areas where 5G-A and AI can deliver substantial benefits. The program aims to create scalable, replicable business models that will guide future AI and 5G-A applications by focusing on these high-impact sectors. Successful case studies are already emerging, offering valuable insights into how this integration can drive new revenue streams, enhance operational efficiency, and improve user experiences.
Through these efforts, the 5G-A×AI Development Program is paving the way for the next generation of AI-powered connectivity solutions. The program lays the groundwork for a transformative shift in how businesses, industries, and societies interact with technology by establishing collaborative platforms, launching innovation challenges, and exploring high-value use cases.
Read More: Global MBBF 2024: Accelerating 5.5G and AI Convergence to Lead the Mobile AI Era
The Vision for the Intelligent RAN, Ubiquitous AI Project
The GTI's Intelligent RAN, Ubiquitous AI Project is centered around two critical objectives that align with the broader goals of accelerating the integration of 5G-A and AI technologies to create more intelligent and more efficient networks. These objectives focus on optimizing network performance and driving the expansion of the Mobile AI industry, both of which will lay the groundwork for future innovations across sectors.
Optimizing Network Performance: One of the project's primary goals is to leverage the synergy between 5G-A networks and AI to enhance network operations. The integration of AI will optimize O&M (Operations & Maintenance), enabling operators to manage and maintain networks more efficiently. It will also improve overall network optimization, ensuring that resources are utilized more effectively and operators can offer a seamless experience to their users.
The project aims to improve energy efficiency, significantly reducing operational costs while supporting sustainability goals. By introducing advanced experience monetization techniques, the project will empower operators to unlock new revenue streams and enhance customer satisfaction. This combined approach will enable global operators to boost network productivity, creating a more agile and responsive infrastructure that can meet the growing demands of a connected world.
Driving Mobile AI Industry Development: The second key objective of the project is to accelerate the growth of the Mobile AI industry by seamlessly integrating AI across various sectors and enhancing network capabilities to support AI-driven services. This will help optimize the delivery of AI applications and present new possibilities for AI-powered solutions in healthcare, smart cities, autonomous vehicles, energy management, and beyond.
Through the creation of pilot benchmarks, the project will set standards for AI integration, allowing the industry to evaluate and refine AI use cases. It also focuses on identifying high-value use cases, demonstrating the transformative potential of 5G-A and AI in creating replicable business models that can drive sustainable industry growth.
Unlocking the Future with 5G-A and AI
The GTI’s comprehensive efforts to converge 5G-A and AI will lead to a digital and intelligent transformation of global economies, creating a more connected, efficient, and sustainable future.
As the 5G-A×AI Development Program continues to evolve, its commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration, and real-world applications will be pivotal in shaping the future of mobile and AI technologies. The ultimate goal is to create a more innovative, faster, and efficient future where connectivity enables unprecedented opportunities for businesses, industries, and societies worldwide.
Further Outcomes from MBBF:
Huawei Launches 5G-AA Solutions for the Mobile AI Era
Huawei's Yang Chaobin: 5.5G Unleashes the Potential of Mobile AI
Li Peng: Maximizing New Growth Opportunities in the Mobile AI Era