Partner Article 

As AI technology continues to mature, it is increasingly clear that the industrial sector is poised to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of integrated digital intelligence. From AI-powered robots to advanced real-time analytics and automation, the scale of the market opportunity is enormous; indeed, AVEVA’s Industrial Intelligence Index (III) Report 2024 saw 97% of manufacturing executives agree that industrial AI solutions will be required to remain competitive, with 74% prioritising investments in industrial intelligence solutions in the next 12 months. 

But despite this acknowledgement of the technology’s necessity, exactly how to incorporate industrial intelligence into daily operations remains a challenge for most industrial players. These companies not only have very specific needs when it comes to digital infrastructure and ICT architecture but are also typically working with a wide range of legacy systems that cannot be easily replaced without major disruption.  

At Huawei’s Industrial Digital and Intelligent Transformation Summit, hosted this year at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Leo Chen, Huawei’s Corporate Senior Vice President and President of Enterprise Sales moved to address these pain points, presenting a framework for accelerating intelligent transformation across industries.  

The four pathways to intelligent industry 

Speaking on the keynote speech, Chen introduced four key areas that must be considered to rapidly advance industrial intelligence: “Firstly, we must deeply integrate technologies into industry scenarios and build a target ICT architecture for industrial intelligent transformation based on industry requirements, pain points, and development stages. Secondly, we need to build advanced, AI-oriented ICT infrastructure to support the exponential growth of AI workloads. Thirdly, we must develop high-performance AI products that seamlessly integrate with open-source models, enhance AI development toolchains, and collaborate with industry partners, enabling AI to shift from technical showmanship to broad, inclusive accessibility, accelerating transformation in industries like healthcare and education. And fourthly, we must train ICT talent in a more targeted manner.” 

Taken together, these four focus points will create a powerful foundation for success in industrial intelligence. 

Successes already on show with global partners 

The results of this four-pronged approach are already bearing fruit for Huawei, who demonstrated 83 global showcases across 71 key industrial scenarios at MWC, proving a valuable reference point for industrial companies just beginning their digital and intelligent transformation.  

More impressive, however, was the launch of 10 solutions co-developed with industry partners across different sectors. These solutions, based on Huawei’s Industrial Intelligence Reference Architecture released last year, provide a suite of technologies aimed at supporting these sectors on their digital transformation journey. 

For example, the launched Digital Training 2.0 Solution offers courses in 22 technical directions and project management globally, encompassing overseas training labs in 11 technical disciplines, such as AI, cloud computing, and big data. 

Additional solutions here cover some of the world’s largest industrial sectors, including the Inclusive Connectivity – Digital Village Solution (for public utilities), the Government Service Digitalization Solution (for public utilities), the Digital Training Solution (for education), Financial Data Center Resilience Solution (or finance industry), the Intelligent Distribution Solution 2.0 (for electric power companies), the Smart Railway Yard & Station Solution (for rail), the Intelligent Multi-level Port Operation Management Solution (for ports and shipping), and the Intelligent Chemical Solution (for manufacturing). 

Collaborate and grow 

At the heart of these solutions – and indeed Huawei’s philosophy throughout the Summit – was the close collaboration with industry partners, and this was clearly reflected. 

Speaking at the summit, Ciyong Zou, Deputy to the Director General and the Managing Director of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development, UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation), highlighted “the power of multi-stakeholder cooperation”.  

“Huawei has been instrumental in the AIM Global, playing a key role in accelerating the sustainable adoption of cutting-edge technologies,” he said. “These partnerships reinforce our shared belief that technology must serve humanity—not the other way around. As we look ahead, three principles must guide us: equity, sustainability, and collaboration. Equity ensures that digital transformation benefits all, sustainability ensures that technology contributes to a greener future, and collaboration ensures that no country, industry, or entrepreneur is left behind.” 

Other partners, including French retail technology company VusionGroup, echoed this sentiment. “At VusionGroup, we aim to help build a more sustainable future by digitising physical stores, as they play a pivotal role in this respect. By partnering with Huawei, we design innovations that serve this purpose, driving a greater impact for business and society,” said Guillaume Portier, the company’s EVP. 

Huawei will continue to work with a wider range of partners to expand its industrial solutions portfolio. As AI continues to shape industries such as energy, retail, transportation, and finance, Huawei’s focus on collaboration will help deliver tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of these sectors. This ongoing commitment to working with diverse partners will play a key role in supporting the broader adoption of industrial intelligence. 

Four regional infrastructure deals from around the US to catch up with. … [visit site to read more]

Four interesting projects to catch up with, two in Europe and two in Latin America. … [visit site to read more]

ZTE Corporation has unveiled a range of new, AI-enabled devices during MWC2025 in Barcelona, under the banner of its « AI for All » product strategy.

They include a new full-screen smartphone and devices catering for the gaming, photography, fashion and music markets, as well as a lineup of AI-enabled fixed-wireless access (FWA) and mobile broadband (MBB) products featuring 5G-Advanced and Wi-Fi 7.

ZTE says it is creating a  “full-scenario intelligent ecosystem” connecting person. vehicle and home, with a goal to ensure that every consumer can benefit from the efficiency, enhanced functionality and “emotional resonance” brought by AI.

In cooperation with its long-established global partners, including Qualcomm, Unisoc and Google, ZTE is committed to integrating world-leading AI capabilities across its smartphone and FWA & MBB product lines, explained Ni Fei, SVP of ZTE Corporation and President of ZTE Mobile Devices.

nubia expanding ZTE’s global market presence

In the AI era, smartphones are evolving into a comprehensive intelligent platform that seamlessly integrates connectivity, interaction, services, and entertainment, explained Fei. AI‘s most significant benefit is to upgrade the user interaction, with intelligent agents replacing traditional apps as the main consumer interface

« By seamlessly connecting multi-modal architectures with advanced AI large-language models (LLMs), we are transforming how users interact with technology across photography, gaming, translation, and AI generated content.” 

Working with Google, ZTE is accelerating AI transformation in overseas markets, where all new products under its nubia brand will integrate Gemini, Google’s AI model, combined with Google Cloud’s scalable, secure, and high-performance infrastructure, says Fei.

ZTE says it has seen overseas smartphone shipments surge by over 60% since 2024, with notable market share gains across Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. 

nubia is now present in more than 30 countries and regions, and is “accelerating its global expansion with AI-driven devices offerings” fueled by gaming- and photography-centric product portfolios as well as “elevated product tiers, expansive sales channels, an enriched ecosystem, and strengthened localized marketing efforts,” says the company.

ZTE introduces “world-first” AI-powered FWA & MBB products

In the FWA and MBB market, ZTE points to partnerships with more than 130 operators in over 100 countries, and shipments amounting to more than 250 million devices globally, including 7 million 5G FWA & MBB units. The latest report from international consultancy firm, TSR, ranks ZTE as world No.1 in the FWA & MBB market, while ABI Research recognizes ZTE as the overall leader, top innovator, and top implementer in its 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) CPE Vendor Competitive Assessment report.

ZTE’s full-stack AI FWA solution incorporates six core AI-driven features: AI Multi-Scenario Application, AI QoS Management, AI Voice Control, AI Application Recognition, AI Children Protection, and real-time AI Network Optimization, says the company.

First of the three new AI FWA & MBB products unveiled during MWC2025, the ZTE G5 Ultra is a 5G-Advanced device capable of delivering peak speed of up to 19Gbps. It supports tri-band Wi-Fi 7, dual 2.5Gbps network ports, and integrates AI voice control and AI QoS management. By leveraging advanced AI algorithms, the ZTE G5 Ultra dynamically optimizes network performance, ensuring seamless connectivity for online gaming, 4K streaming, and remote work, says ZTE.

Secondly, the ZTE G5 Max Wi-Fi is a  Wi-Fi 7/mmWave FWA device supporting both Sub-6GHz and mmWave carrier aggregation with peak speeds of up to 10Gbps. Featuring a 30dBi ultra-high-gain antenna design, it ensures stable signal reception at up to 6km coverage in outdoor environments, dramatically improving both downlink and uplink speeds, and decreasing power consumption, according to ZTE.

Finally, the ZTE U60 Pro is claimed to be the world’s fastest Wi-Fi 7 5G Mobile device, capable of delivering peak speeds of 3.6Gbps. A 10,000mAh battery supports up to 16 hours of working time, and dual-band Wi-Fi 7, fast charging, and reverse charging capabilities provide convenient power-sharing for other mobile devices.

All three products support ZTE’s GIS (Green, artificial Intelligence, Security) product philosophy, which uses AI-driven technologies to optimize network performance, says the vendor. Key features include Green Energy Efficiency, with AI-driven energy-saving strategies that learn from user behavior to optimize power consumption; AI-Powered Intelligence, with ZTE’s AI Super Antenna, ensuring reliable connectivity even in weak signal areas; and Smart Network Optimization, which dynamically allocates bandwidth to improve efficiency and reduce congestion.

Partnership-driven FWA & MBB leadership

All three FWA & MBB products feature Qualcomm’s Dragonwing FWA Gen 3 platform with the Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System, and promise to set a new benchmark in 5G performance, energy efficiency, spectrum flexibility and connectivity, says ZTE.

“FWA provides a cost-effective and flexible alternative to wired broadband enabling high-speed internet access in underserved parts of the world and remote areas,” said Rahul Patel, Group GM Connectivity, Broadband and Networking at Qualcomm Technologies.

Qualcomm’s collaboration with ZTE has been instrumental in driving innovation and excellence, and in the FWA market, the two companies have  together achieved remarkable milestones including the development of cutting edge AI-based FWA solutions, said Patel.

“This is the power of partnership. ZTE has consistently demonstrated its leadership in the FWA marketplace maintaining a strong position for many years. ZTE’s expansive portfolio backed by Qualcomm’s advanced AI-driven technology solutions showcases the two companies’ dedication to innovation and commitment to excellence in the FWA market.”

The Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) and operator Airtel Zambia have signed what the two groups describe as a landmark memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance tourism planning and development using anonymised telecommunications data.

The aim of this strategic collaboration is to provide critical insights into visitor movement trends, enabling data-driven decision-making to promote and develop Zambia’s tourism sector.

In order to make this happen, Airtel Zambia will supply aggregated and anonymised data on traffic movement in designated tourism areas. The company emphasises that it will also ensure full compliance with data privacy regulations and maintain strict confidentiality for subscribers.

By analysing these insights, ZTA says it will gain a clearer understanding of visitor trends, peak travel periods, and mobility patterns, ultimately leading to more effective tourism strategies and policies.

ZTA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Matongo Matamwandi, explains: “In the tourism sector, performance is typically measured through international tourist arrivals, domestic tourist visits, tourism receipts, hotel occupancy rates, length of stay and tourist spending. While the Ministry of Tourism is currently working on a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) to provide a more structured measurement of the sector’s contribution to GDP, ZTA has sought alternative methods to measure domestic tourism performance. This partnership with Airtel will enable us to access domestic tourism data through mobile phone analytics, supplementing existing data sources from heritage sites, museums, and national parks, which do not provide a comprehensive picture of domestic tourism activities.”

Among major attractions in Zambia are the Zambezi River, safari experiences, and, of course, Victoria Falls.

News 

The two companies formed the JV back in 2016 

Liberty Global has entered into talks with Vodafone over a potential acquisition of Vodafone’s stake in Dutch joint venture VodafoneZiggo, Bloomberg has reported. 

VodafoneZiggo is a Dutch telco company formed as a joint venture (JV)  between Vodafone Group and Liberty Global in 2016. The JV is spit equally between the companies. It was formed as a merger between Vodafone’s mobile services and Ziggo’s broadband and television operations in the Netherlands. 

The potential deal, which has been in negotiations for several months, could see Vodafone’s stake valued at over €2 billion. If the acquisition proceeds, Liberty Global would gain full control over VodafoneZiggo. 

The move does not come as a total surprise. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs’ European Communacopia Conference in September last year, Liberty Global Chief Executive Officer Mike Fries said despite the success of the JV, “seven years is a long time for a joint venture. So, we need to think about where we’re going with that business.” 

All three partied have declined to comment on the report. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter, three times per week into your inbox 

Also in the news:
Vodafone and Ericsson cut 5G energy bill by a third in latest ‘sleep mode’ trials
Startup Stories: Introducing automation and observability specialist Telaverge Communications
Shock U-turn as Jio and Airtel both sign up for Starlink

News 

The investigation, which has led to multiple arrests and searches across Europe, has raised concerns about foreign interference and political integrity in the EU 

This week, Belgian authorities have arrested several people as part of a corruption investigation related to the European Parliament and Chinese tech giant Huawei. 

It has been confirmed that a large-scale investigation is ongoing into potential corruption, forgery, and money laundering occurring “very discreetly” since 2021.  

More than 100 officers carried out 21 searches in Belgium and Portugal, while one arrest was made in in France. Officials also sealed offices within the European Parliament belonging to two suspected parliamentary assistants.  

The probe alleges that Huawei offered luxury gifts, paid travel, and event invitations “under the guise of commercial lobbying” while seeking to directly influence European politics. In some cases, the investigators claim, remuneration was even provided for taking specific political positions.  

 It is also believed that some payments have been disguised as business expenses or sent through third parties.  

According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, which organised the investigation along with fellow paper Knack and investigative website Follow the Money, one of the central figures in the probe is Valerio Ottati, a Belgian–Italian lobbyist who joined Huawei in 2019. Before becoming the company’s EU public affairs director, he worked as an assistant to two Italian MEPs involved in EU–China relations. 

Huawei has strongly denied the allegations, with a spokesperson saying, “Huawei has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption or other wrongdoing, and we are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times.” 

Huawei has faced various bans and restrictions across Europe due to concerns over threats to national security, allegations of corruption. Countries such as the UK, Germany, France and Sweden have all implemented bans of Huawei infrastructure in mobile networks. The European Commission emphasised its security concerns over Huawei’s involvement in Europe’s 5G networks. The European Commission itself has not yet commented, but EU Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier warned that the “security of our 5G networks is obviously crucial for our economy.”  

“Huawei represents materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers…a lack of swift action would expose the EU as a whole to a clear risk,” he continued. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter 

Also in the news:
Vodafone and Ericsson cut 5G energy bill by a third in latest ‘sleep mode’ trials
Startup Stories: Introducing automation and observability specialist Telaverge Communications
Shock U-turn as Jio and Airtel both sign up for Starlink

Zayo has won the competition to acquire Crown Castle’s fiber business, fulfilling the rumors that have been spilling out since January. On Friday, the infrastructure provider announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Crown’s fiber assets, customers, etc for $4.25B. Meanwhile, in a parallel but separate deal, EQT will acquire Crown Castle’s small cell business. … [visit site to read more]

With the rise of AI has come vast investments in new data centers around the world.  But still getting less attention is how all that AI infrastructure will be connected to itself and to everything else.  But network operators are definitely gearing up to take on the challenge.  With us today to talk about GTT’s approach is Gary Sidhu, SVP for Product Engineering. … [visit site to read more]

Interview

We caught up with Ehsan Ahmadi, CEO of VOX Solutions, to discuss the many monetisation opportunities offered by AI and why telcos must evolve to take advantage

You founded VOX Solutions back in 2010 – how has the industry changed since then and what has that meant for VOX?

The telecom industry used to be a walled garden. Now? It’s a battlefield. Traditional telcos aren’t just competing with each other anymore, they’re up against tech giants, AI-driven platforms, and cloud-based disruptors. If you’re not innovating, you’re dying.

VOX Solutions saw this shift early. We’ve been building automation, AI-driven and smarter monetisation solutions such as A2P Voice/flash call monetisation, A2P SMS monetisation and Ad-tech to help telcos survive, and thrive, in a market that’s evolving at warp speed.

Monetisation is still a huge problem for telcos. Where do you see them going wrong?

Too slow. Too bureaucratic. Too stuck in the past.

Telcos are sitting on a goldmine of data and infrastructure, but many still operate like it’s 1999. Meanwhile, tech companies are eating their lunch with cloud platforms, AI, and over-the-top (OTT) services.

The future belongs to those who move fast, automate ruthlessly, and leverage AI to unlock new revenue. Telcos that don’t evolve will become dumb pipes, just infrastructure for others to profit from.

What is your approach to tackling these problems at VOX? How big are the potential financial benefits here?

Simple: AI + Data + automation = massive efficiency and revenue.

We help MNOs stop leaving money on the table. Every call, every message, every data point is a monetisation opportunity if you have the right tech. We’re turning telcos into AI-powered revenue machines, optimising every aspect of their operations.

The financial upside is huge. The telco industry is a multi-trillion-dollar space. Those who adapt will dominate. Those who don’t… won’t exist.

You’ve been incorporating AI and machine learning in your solutions for years – what’s your take on how AI can impact telcos’ monetisation efforts?

AI isn’t the future, it’s the present. And if you’re not using it, you’re already behind.

Telcos have massive amounts of untapped data. AI turns that into money, automating fraud prevention, optimising pricing, and creating entirely new revenue streams. This isn’t about small improvements; it’s about rewiring the industry.

At VOX Solutions, we don’t just use AI, we build with it at the core. Our goal is simple: make AI the engine that increases telco profitability.

The telecom industry continues to change rapidly – what do you think MNOs’ business models will look like in 10 years, and what role do you see VOX playing in that transformation?

In 10 years, telcos won’t be telcos. They’ll be AI-driven digital platforms.

Voice, SMS, and data bundles? That’s the past. The future is automation, AI, Ad-tech, API, IoT and services we haven’t even imagined yet. The winners will be those who evolve into tech companies, not just connectivity providers.

VOX Solutions is making sure MNOs don’t just keep up, they lead. We’re building the AI-powered tools that will redefine what a telco can be. The next decade belongs to those who think big and move fast.

Can you give examples of successful and unsuccessful MNOs? What sets them apart?

The difference between success and failure in telecom is simple: adapt or die.

At VOX Solutions, we’ve helped 20+ MNOs boost their EBITDA by over $100 million — that’s an average of $5 million per operator, improving margins by 5%. These are the MNOs that embrace AI, automation, and new monetisation strategies. They move fast, optimise aggressively, and win.

On the flip side, we’ve seen plenty of MNOs that refuse to evolve. Some claim they’ll build in-house solutions — but never do. Others just don’t bother at all. The result? Declining revenue, shrinking margins, and a slow death. If they don’t change course, they’ll either collapse or get taken over by stronger MNOs at distressed prices.

This industry doesn’t wait for anyone. The question is: will you lead or be left behind? If you’re ready to scale revenue, optimise efficiency, and future-proof your business, let’s talk.

You can learn more about Vox Solutions here