(Yicai) June 28 — The ongoing Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2024, the most influential mobile communications expo in Asia, has attracted 11 delegations from Africa that focused on fifth-generation technologies.
“The African delegations are very proactive,” Sihan Bo Chen, president of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association China, told Yicai. “They have come to China to learn about 5G technologies and to engage in more exchanges with regulatory and industry players.”
At the event that opened on June 26, a Cameroonian procurement official told Yicai he visited three telecom operators and toured communications terminal companies, including Huawei Technologies and ZTE, hoping to understand communication gear for in-vehicle terminals.
“African countries are heavily investing in 4G applications, and the 5G industry is just starting to take off,” the official noted. “China is a global leader in the 5G field, and companies here have comprehensive solutions. Many African procurement officials have great trust in the 5G hardware of Chinese firms.”
Many procurement officials from Africa came to learn about the applications of 5G and 5G-Advanced, a worker at the ZTE booth said to Yicai. Some overseas manufacturers also hope that Chinese companies will send trainers to teach them how to use and maintain devices after purchasing products, the person added.
By 2030, there will likely be over 1.2 billion smartphones in use in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 4G technology accounting for 49 percent and 5G for 17 percent of all mobile connections in the region, according to GSMA. This presents opportunities for local telecom operators and equipment manufacturers, it noted.
GSMA also organized delegations from the Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East to visit various sites around Shanghai before the MWC, including 5G application scenarios such as smart factories, ports, and autonomous driving.
“I believe the most important thing is to eliminate the digital divide and enable more people to enjoy the benefits brought by technology, which is why we have built this international platform,” GSMA China’s Chen pointed out.
The MWC Shanghai ends today. As the most anticipated global mobile communications industry event, MWC holds three annual exhibitions, adding the Shanghai edition in 2012, while the other two take place in Barcelona and Los Angeles.
Editors: Dou Shicong, Martin Kadiev
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