Touring exhibit showcases next big thing in telecommunications

Chinese telecom giant Huawei showcased its latest 5G technologies to British government officials and telecom industry partners on a purpose-built truck parked at South London’s Oval cricket ground on Wednesday.

On board, Huawei showed how its 5G technology can be deployed to introduce efficiency and new functions to make modern living easier. This technology covers areas including smart healthcare, drone application, smart driving, and virtual reality simulation.

5G stands for 5th-generation wireless systems. It is hailed as the next big thing in the telecoms industry, characterized by wide bandwidth, to accommodate the ever-increasing number of devices needing internet connection, including phones, computers and a large range of home appliances.

The telecoms industry estimates a worldwide rollout of 5G infrastructure should take place by 2020. By 2025, around 40 billion personal intelligent devices are forecast to be connected to 5G, making 100 billion connections globally.

Huawei is currently one of the world’s leading 5G technology developers, alongside the likes of Nokia and Ericsson. Other British cities included in the truck’s tour are Ipswich, Birmingham, Reading, Newbury and Worcester. Across the whole of Europe, the truck will visit a total of 40 cities in 10 different countries.

By the end of the year, Huawei expects the truck to have been visited by 7,000 industry practitioners, and representatives from government, media and research institutes.