By Yan Huan, Xu Hailin, People’s Daily

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 hosted by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) kicked off on Feb. 27 in Barcelona, Spain.

The four-day event, focusing on the new impetus of 5G development, digitalization and financial technology, called for enhanced international cooperation to narrow the technological gap and strive for a sustainable future.

As one of the grand events in mobile communication industry, the MWC was joined by over 2,000 exhibitors from more than 200 countries and regions.

At the event, Chinese communication and tech firms displayed their latest results in frontier communication and electronics technology, attracting high attention.

GSMA CEO John Hoffman told People’s Daily that China has built the world’s largest and technologically leading 5G infrastructure and has the largest number of 5G users in the world. He believes that Chinese enterprises would share more stories and experiences of technological development with the world via this year’s MWC.

Thanks to the in-depth application of 5G technology, virtual reality, augmented reality, metaverse and other futuristic application scenarios based on the technology are bringing profound changes to people’s life and work.

The upgrading of 5G technology and infrastructure is constantly accelerating Africa’s development, said John Omo, Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union.

He said China’s Huawei has provided technologies and equipment for the digitalization of South Africa’s mining industry, helping the latter improve its management, productivity and safety.

In a plant producing cardboard boxes in east China’s Zhejiang province, an intelligent industrial cloud base station has been built by China Mobile, one of the largest mobile communication carriers in China and Chinese communication giant ZTE. The base station covers the entire plant with 5G network and connects every production device. The plant employs 5G-guided robots with machine vision to accurately achieve pick-up, delivery and coordination. Images and videos in the plant are sent back to the control end in real time for analysis and management.

China mobile and ZTE have won the 2023 GSMA 5G Smart Production Challenge Award for their exploration and innovation in the application of 5G in manufacturing.

“Today, the role of people working in the communication industry is changing rapidly,” said Wang Xiyu, executive vice president and chief technology officer of ZTE, adding that the evolution of the industry is making the impossible possible and becoming an important driving force for social transformation.

The MWC 2023 was joined by about 150 Chinese communication and tech firms, such as China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, Huawei, ZTE and Xiaomi. Their digital technologies exhibited at the event are empowering the global development, especially the sustainable development of developing countries.

Huawei had a 9,000-square meter exhibition booth at the MWC 2023, which, according to CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona Francesc Fajula, is the largest in history of the MWC.

“Chinese companies keep close cooperation with international organizations and communication carriers in many countries, which has not only improved their capability in 5G application, but also created opportunities for these countries in training young talents in digital technology,” Fajula said.

As the world pays more and more attention to carbon emission reduction, Chinese enterprises are joining hands with domestic and foreign partners to contribute to carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality in the communication field.

In Chile, China’s Lenovo is cooperating with local organization Island Conservation and has launched Work for Humankind initiative in the Robinson Crusoe Island. Volunteers with different backgrounds and knowledge came to the island to work with local communities to promote technology upgrades, update education and digital approaches and help with ecological protection as well as cultural preservation.

Lenovo has set up a cutting-edge technology center for the initiative, equipped volunteers and staff members on the island with laptops, augmented reality goggles and smart home appliances. The center also offers online education software for local schools. So far, the center has benefited around 30 percent of residents on the island.

During the 2023 MWC, Huawei announced it has joined the UNESCO Global Alliance for Literacy (GAL) and will work with relevant parties to raise literacy with technology.

Only by enhancing education on digital technology and ensuring no country or individual is left behind can true sustainable development be achieved, said David Atchoarena, director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, adding that Chinese enterprises are offering richer educational resources for young people through cooperation and investment.