#China #Shanghai #AI Integration #Optical Networks #F5.5G

Advancements in the F5.5G Industry

The F5.5G All-Optical Industry Summit, successfully conducted during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Shanghai in 2025, highlighted the booming F5.5G sector as a focal point for discussion among key industry players. Participants included members from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's Information and Communication Technologies Committee, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, and representatives from renowned companies such as China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, as well as global players like Maxis from Malaysia and CTM. Key topics revolved around the latest business practices from global operators in delivering fully-optical broadband reaching speeds of 10 Gbps, emphasizing premium optical transmission methods.

In recent years, F5.5G networks, powered entirely by fiber optics, have witnessed a rapid acceleration in commercial deployment. More than 70 operators across the globe have begun utilizing 10 Gbps service packages, paving the way for widely adopted fully-optical 10 Gbps broadband services, which enhance new AI-to-Home (AItoH) services. Simultaneously, over 240 operational networks worldwide are functioning at 400G, demonstrating significant advancements in optical transmission technology.

Moreover, the sector is exploring the feasibility of metropolitan networks with a latency of just 1 millisecond. This will ensure that end-users can swiftly access computational power through cloud networks, thereby enabling innovation in AI-to-Business (AItoB) applications. As AI is projected to become a cornerstone of the global digital economy, reshaping everyday life and production processes, global operators are embracing its potential actively.

Li Peng, Senior Vice President and Head of ICT Sales at Huawei, emphasized in his keynote address the importance of homes and enterprises as valuable arenas for operators’ AI-driven strategic transformations. He expressed Huawei's commitment to collaborating with the industry to advance fully-optical F5.5G networks, promoting synergy among cloud, intelligence, network, and devices, while driving the application of AI in both domestic and industrial contexts to achieve mutual growth in the AI era.

In this new age of AI, the recipe for operators' growth in domestic broadband services will lie in imparting fresh value and priority to end-users. Bob Chen, President of the Optical Products Division at Huawei, unveiled the company's latest innovations in fully-optical F5.5G networks across four key areas. He asserted, "To enhance the perceived relevance of home broadband users, it is essential to visibly update bandwidth allocations, ensure a differentiated user experience, facilitate new popular home devices, and deliver innovative services. Huawei continually innovates to help operators offer high-value four-in-one packages and cutting-edge AI application experiences to users."

Huawei's solutions have been enhanced in terms of bandwidth, differentiated user experiences, new terminals, and advanced home applications. Its 50G PON solution supports upgrades to ultra-gigabit and 10 Gigabit capacities. Furthermore, Huawei is improving end-to-end network capabilities to assure high-value users a differentiated experience. The newly developed AI Home Hub acts as a smart home center, offering advanced intelligent applications based on interactions with home AI technologies. In tandem, Huawei is working with operators to jointly develop fully-fiber-optic metropolitan networks featuring 1 ms latency. This infrastructure will grant users access to cloud computing resources and AI applications via low-latency deterministic networks.

This summit not only showcased the technological strides made in the F5.5G domain but also set the stage for an integrated approach to enhancing the roles of AI and optical networking within the booming digital economy. Addressing the needs and expectations of end-users while leveraging cutting-edge technology is crucial for driving the future of the telecommunications landscape.



Overall, as the F5.5G industry continues to evolve, its ability to fuse AI technology with innovative networking solutions positions it well for sustained growth in the coming years.