Huawei outlined its vision for the next decade of mobile communications at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2026. The company also highlighted the Middle East’s growing strategic role as the industry moves toward AI-native networks and a new era of token-based connectivity.

Held under the theme “Advancing All Intelligence,” MWC Shanghai 2026 brought together global carriers, industry partners, and key opinion leaders. Participants explored enhanced connectivity and compute, 5G-Advanced (5G-A) high uplink, experience monetization, and AI-powered business upgrades.

During the event, David Wang, Huawei’s Deputy Chairman of the Board and Rotating Chairman, delivered a keynote on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the economics of mobile communications. He said AI is also setting the direction for the next decade of industry growth.

Speaking about spectrum, Wang said securing the right frequency resources is essential to support AI-driven services. He noted that the U6 GHz band has become the most strategically important spectrum for the next phase of mobile communications. More than 20 countries and regions have already designated the band for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), covering nearly 80% of the global population.

Wang added that operators will need continuous bandwidths ranging from 200 MHz to 400 MHz or more. According to him, this will enable capabilities such as five times higher downlink speeds, ten times higher uplink performance, and low-latency, high-reliability connectivity.

He also said AI is fundamentally changing what mobile networks must deliver. Furthermore, he noted that decisions made by operators and governments over the next 12 to 18 months will determine future leadership in intelligent connectivity.

“With each generation, we have pushed the limits of spectral efficiency and performance. This has consistently expanded the boundaries of communications, helping carriers translate network capabilities into commercial value,” Wang said.

Huawei projected that the number of AI agents operating worldwide will exceed 100 billion by 2030. The figure could reach trillions by 2040. In densely connected urban areas, agent density is expected to surpass 10 million per square kilometer.

Wang also highlighted that global 5G subscriptions have already crossed 3.1 billion. Meanwhile, China’s 5G-Advanced user base has exceeded 110 million. He said mobile networks must continue evolving to meet the growing demands of AI applications.

At MWC Shanghai 2026, Huawei introduced its token economy concept. The company said tokens, which represent the fundamental unit of output in large language models and AI services, are becoming a new measure of value in mobile communications.

As AI agents become more widely deployed across industries, Huawei believes supporting token production, transmission, and consumption at scale will become a major competitive advantage for operators.

Huawei also unveiled its AI-centric target network together with China’s three major carriers. The architecture includes three integrated layers. These consist of a communications network designed for real-time interaction, a computing network where network access is equivalent to computing access, and AI computing infrastructure powered by Huawei’s SuperPoDs.

According to the company, the SuperPoDs platform supports efficient token production through open-source compatibility and storage-compute integration. Huawei said this approach lowers the cost per token while improving output per watt.

The company also highlighted uplink performance as one of the most important technical requirements for the AI era. Traditionally, mobile networks have focused on downlink capacity to support video streaming and browsing. However, AI-powered applications are rapidly changing those requirements.

Huawei said AI glasses used for real-time translation and visual assistance already require 20 Mbps uplink throughput. As multimodal AI applications continue to expand, the company expects 1 Gbps peak uplink capacity and 20 Mbps baseline uplink performance to become standard targets for operators.

Huawei also showcased examples of AI-native networks already delivering results across industries.

In Singapore, Singtel deployed agentic AI in customer operations. The company’s AI assistant handled more than 70,000 customer interactions within six weeks. Around 70% of routine customer queries were resolved without human intervention, allowing employees to focus on more complex tasks.

In China, firefighting robots equipped with 5G-Advanced modules are supporting emergency response operations. Using China Mobile’s network, they stream real-time thermal imagery to cloud-based AI systems for fire source detection, remote control, and autonomous operation.

In the logistics sector, AI agent networks have reduced shipment delays by 15% by automatically replanning delivery routes during weather disruptions. The systems process hundreds of route alternatives within seconds.

Huawei also said its Celia assistant now records three billion daily activations. According to the company, this represents a 4.5-fold increase in agent distribution and demonstrates the scale of AI interactions future mobile networks must support.

The company highlighted the Middle East as a key region for next-generation mobile communications. Huawei expects the region to become the first globally to deploy a commercial 5G-Advanced network operating on the U6 GHz band. Selected carriers in Hong Kong and Macao are also expected to begin commercial deployment later this year.

Huawei said operators across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the wider Middle East have an opportunity to strengthen their leadership in advanced mobile communications. Carriers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and neighboring markets have already been among the world’s most active in deploying advanced 5G networks. The U6 GHz spectrum is expected to provide the additional bandwidth needed to support real-time AI applications with higher uplink demands.

At the Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) Top Talk Summit held in Shanghai on June 23, Li Peng, Huawei’s Director of the Board and President of ICT Sales and Service, outlined the company’s long-term vision.

“By 2035, we’ll have co-created an Agentverse defined by carbon-silicon symbiosis, virtual-real integration, and agent collaboration,” Li Peng said. “Intelligent connectivity can break new boundaries; technological innovation can open the door to new network capabilities; and the intelligent economy can unlock new value in connectivity. Together, we can achieve symbiosis with AI, advance with AI, and succeed with AI.”

Li Peng also invited global carriers and industry partners to work with Huawei in developing a Mobile AI City and shaping the future of mobile communications.

Additionally, Huawei confirmed its commitment to helping shape 3GPP Release 21, the standards framework expected to govern mobile communications from 2030 to 2040. The framework is scheduled to launch in March 2027.

The company said it will continue working with carriers, industry partners, and governments to advance priorities announced at MWC Shanghai 2026. Huawei also plans to collaborate with global partners on 5G-Advanced high uplink, experience monetization, AI-powered business upgrades, and enhanced connectivity as the industry moves toward an AI-driven future.

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