China Continues to Demonstrate Telecommunication Innovation Leadership at MWC Shanghai 2025

MWC Shanghai 2025 was held from June 18 to 20, 2025 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Based on the latest information from GSMA, this was a highly successful event, with over 45,000 attendees (representing 12,500 companies) and 400 exhibitors participating in the conference. These numbers represent strong growth of a 13% and 92% increase, respectively, from the previous event held in 2024. As per the past iterations of the conference, key companies headlining the event included Chinese powerhouse companies, such as Alibaba, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Tower, China Unicom, HONOR, Huawei, Lenovo, and ZTE (in alphabetical order).

There were several clear themes at this year’s MWC Shanghai 2025 event, all of which demonstrated industry thought leadership. Some of these are detailed below:

• 5G-Advanced: Continuing from the previous year, 5G-Advanced continued to be a key focus area. This technology is being promoted as a critical component for telcos by enabling them to monetize assured and differentiated user experiences. Also, by enhancing network uplink performance, 5G-Advanced is being seen as a complementary technology to support widespread Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) usage by both consumers and enterprises.
• Agentic AI: There was also significant interest in this technology across the conference floor, with many Chinese vendors, including but not limited to AsiaInfo and Huawei, demonstrating how Agentic AI is being integrated into their platforms to facilitate operations. ZTE has also introduced its 5G-A AgentGuard solution that will facilitate interactions between AI agents on devices and the mobile network. Another interesting observation that was made is how many of these vendors are no longer offering their own proprietary Large Language Models (LLMs), but have also enabled access to other open-sourced models, such as DeekSeek, on their respective platforms.
• Low-Altitude Economy: Perhaps one of the unique developments of the Chinese market is the rapid development of its low-altitude or drone delivery industry. Various pieces of equipment, from antennas to drones, were on full display at the show, demonstrating the continued growth trajectory of this market. In addition, ZTE has announced that it has developed the industry's first "Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) Foundation Model" that has already been deployed in over 100 commercial and pilot projects.

It is evident that China is one of, if not the leading 5G markets globally. While some may argue that its large domestic market and strong government support are key reasons for this success, credit should be given to its relentless investments in innovation and Research and Development (R&D).

While it may be difficult to replicate all of the Chinese market’s successes—which require a robust and highly integrated ecosystem—there are still some key takeaways that Network Equipment Vendors (NEVs) and Communication Service Providers (CSPs) can seek to emulate.

• Closer Partnerships with Wider Industry: NEVs, CSPs, and vertical industries will need to work together to develop meaningful and high-value services. Previously in the 4G era, connectivity was seen as the main revenue generator for CSPs. However, with the advent of 5G, there has been a depreciation in the value of connectivity, a trend that is made evident from the relatively flat growth in mobile cellular Average Revenue per User (ARPU). CSPs need to transition from being connectivity providers to solution providers. Achieving this will require much deeper collaboration between CSPs, NEVs, the software developer sector, and the wider industry. For example, the success of the low-altitude economy in China would only be possible with close partnerships and testing between CSPs, NEVs, drone manufacturers, and logistic players.
• Integration of New Technologies: CSPs and NEVs should experiment and integrate the latest technologies, such as Agentic AI, into their operations and solutions. The technology landscape is evolving quickly and resistance to change could see a CSP falling behind. For example, China Mobile has launched its AI agent, China Mobile AI intelligent assistant, Lingxi, that will provide its customers with intelligent services covering the workplace, study, lifestyle, and entertainment. The Chinese CSP is also actively developing full-stack AI capabilities, multimodal models, and industry-specific applications to drive AI adoption among enterprises and public agencies.

In summary, this is a pivotal point for CSPs and NEVs in many markets, especially in Asia. Rather than focusing solely on network infrastructure development, sufficient consideration should be placed on the co-development of services that provide value to both consumers and enterprises. While the trajectory and technology roadmaps may differ across geographical markets, the approach to product development remains the same.