Huawei looks to show its lead in 5G technology at world’s biggest mobile industry exhibition

When Guo Ping delivered a keynote speech for Huawei Technologies at Mobile World Congress in 2016, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment supplier called on the industry to push forward preparations for the roll-out of advanced 5G wireless networks and services.

Guo, who was Huawei’s deputy chairman at that time, said telecoms carriers must do three things: increase connectivity, bolster capacity to meet the changing needs of different sectors, and rethink their network capabilities.

Three years later, the global telecoms landscape has changed – complicated by the US-China trade war, Washington’s efforts to block the international deployment of Huawei’s 5G equipment because of security concerns, and a US case that accuses the Chinese company of financial fraud and violation of trade sanctions against Iran, among nearly two dozen charges.

Guo, who now serves as a rotating chairman at Huawei, wants to show the world that it is business as usual for the company amid all those issues at this year’s MWC Barcelona, the largest exhibition for the global mobile industry.

Shenzhen-based Huawei is not only one of the event’s major sponsors, the company joins the likes of Google and South Korean telecoms network operator KT in a showcase exhibit called GSMA Innovation City, which will feature the latest advances made possible by 5G mobile networks, artificial intelligence (AI) and data generated from multiple devices under the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). The GSM Association, organiser of MWC Barcelona, is a trade body that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide.

“Huawei is committed to helping carriers expand the boundaries of their business and find paths to new growth,” Guo was quoted as saying on the company’s website ahead of the four-day event that starts Monday.