Li Peng, Huawei: Accelerating the Move to the Agentic Internet Era with 5G-A and AI
Barcelona, Spain, (ANTARA/PRNewswire)- At MWC Barcelona 2026, Li Peng, Senior Vice President and President, ICT Sales & Service, Huawei, delivered a briefing on how telecommunications operators can maximise value from 5G-A and AI to accelerate the transition to an era of the agentic Internet. According to Li, as networks become increasingly integrated with AI, operators have the opportunity to transform connectivity value through the advancement to “5G-A x AI.” With this approach, operators can not only monetise traffic and user experiences but also AI-based services.
Value Growth for the Industry: Entering the $10 Trillion Agentic Internet Era
In recent years, the mobile industry has evolved from 4G to 5G, and some operators are beginning to deploy 5G-A. With stronger networks, a range of intelligent applications can now be used across devices.
Li said, “This year, we are entering the era of the agentic Internet. Networks will not only connect people, but also hundreds of billions of agents.” The growth in agent-based applications over the next decade will increase connectivity needs. The network will no longer just support human-to-human communication but also agent-to-agent communication. This will push operators to move beyond simply providing traffic to delivering high-value services, opening up a new market valued at 10 trillion dollars.
Business Model Transformation: Elevating Brand and Services to Secure New Revenue Streams
The development of network capabilities is also transforming operators’ business models. In seven years since 5G commercialization, more than 300 operators worldwide have launched new packages to monetise traffic, while also increasing revenues and customer numbers.
As 5G networks progress, experience-based monetisation becomes more important. 5G SA and 5G-A provide more diverse network resources. More than 30 leading operators have launched experience-based packages, such as services with specific speed and latency characteristics.
By dynamically managing network resources, operators can shift from a “best-effort” service to a more assured experience. This transition strengthens brand perception and increases customer interest in premium services. For example, through services with a bespoke logo or tiered speed enhancements, operators can ensure network performance at important moments and improve perceived network quality.
Convergence of Connectivity and AI Services:Unlocking New Growth Potential with AI Services for Consumers, Homes, and Businesses
Li also explained how operators transform core services and boost customer satisfaction by applying AI models.
AI for consumers: First, AI can be integrated with conventional voice services. Currently, the number of voice service users reaches 5.4 billion worldwide. AI can introduce features such as transcription, translation, and AI assistants. Many of these features have already been commercially deployed in China and South Korea. Additionally, more operators are launching AI-powered smartphones as gateways to the agentic Internet era, while boosting B2C services as a major revenue source for many operators.
AI for homes: In addition to advancing home broadband to ultra-gigabit speeds, AI is also used to deliver smart home services. For instance, acceleration assistants can ensure network speed for essential services such as gaming and live broadcasting. Network assistants also help optimise Wi-Fi and resolve disturbances via voice commands. AI integration with video and storage services also supports the automatic creation of cloud-based family photo albums that can be shared across devices.
AI for business: In the industrial sector, the combination of 5G-A and AI can improve production efficiency. For example, smart factories can respond to demand within seconds, schedule new production in minutes, and bring new products to market in hours.
New Vision: Helping Operators Develop an AI Service Portfolio
“Looking ahead, there are still many opportunities to be harnessed through 5G-A and AI. Operators are in the best position to explore future applications such as massive IoT and embodied AI,” said Li. He also recommended three key steps for operators to capture these opportunities. First, operators should develop all services, devices, and spectrum toward 5G-A to build a robust and sustainable network ecosystem. Second, operators should integrate AI into B.O.M. (business, operations, management) as the foundation for developing operational and maintenance (O&M) services with greater diversity. Third, operators should bring smart technologies to infrastructure to support the evolution of future network architecture.
“Huawei is ready to work with operators to maximise the potential of 5G-A and AI and help operators transform into AI service providers,” Li concluded. “We support operators to enhance core services through a multi-agent collaboration platform. We are also building an AI-centric network to enable more efficient operational activities. By collaborating, we can open up new opportunities and lay a strong foundation for the networks of the future.”
MWC Barcelona 2026 took place from 2-5 March in Barcelona, Spain. At the event, Huawei showcased its latest products and solutions at booth 1H50, Fira Gran Via Hall 1.
The era of AI-powered networks is approaching, and large-scale commercial deployment of 5G-A continues to move faster. Huawei is cooperating with operators and global partners to maximise the potential of 5G-A and pave the way towards the evolution of 6G. Huawei is also developing AI-Centric Network solutions to support services, networks, and network elements (NE) for more intelligent operations.