MWC24: Operators Struggle to Make 5G Pay Off

而 AI was the future buzz at Mobile World Congress, 运营商面临着从投入5G网络的数百万美元中收回资金的问题.

There were repeated calls for better regulation, wider cooperation, and promises not to repeat the mistakes of 5G, 比如让Netflix这样的流媒体公司从其网络传输的数据中提取所有价值, when it comes to monetizing AI.

“5G是历史上发展最快的移动标准，但未来面临巨大挑战,” 说 Mats Granryd, 总干事, GSMA. “Mobile revenue growth has gone down but capex gone up. 我们必须继续投资新的基础设施，以保持世界的联系.”

一如既往地, GSMA和全球领先的移动运营商的领导人都对其行业在服务全球商界和解决社会问题方面的重要性做出了宏伟的声明, 例如, by bridging the digital divide.

Operators will spend $1.他说，从现在到2033年，他们的网络将投入5万亿美元，其中90%将用于5G. “We need innovative business models to make it happen.”

潜在收入的一部分在于让更多的人使用移动设备和移动网络. 今天超过4岁.60亿人使用移动互联网——几乎占世界人口的60%. During 2022, 200 million more people started using mobile internet. 有3个.4 billion people still not using the mobile internet, which could add $230 billion to the mobile industry. But the GSMA say the pace of progress is slowing down.

“我们知道这些障碍，比如负担能力和对安全的担忧，但在一个日益数字化的世界里，这令人沮丧,爷爷说. “It is a moral and a business imperative [to close the gap].”

The GSMA is heavily promoting 开放门户, 这是一个以开放api框架构建统一的5G生态系统的倡议，以便企业可以跨国界建立新的服务和业务. 推出一年来，已有240家运营商签约，占移动连接的65%以上, and over 90 APIs.

微软是MWC的合作伙伴，并向网络运营商大力宣传其Azure平台的更新. It 描述了这 作为“一个电信级的混合云平台，以及人工智能网络现代化的基础”.”

微软执行副总裁Jason Zander表示:“我们不希望开发者编写50次应用程序. 他们希望同时在各大洲的50家主要运营商中部署该系统.”

微软副主席兼总裁布拉德·史密斯发表了主旨演讲，并说, “We are creating a new AI economy. Fundamentally for us it is about partnerships. We are not vertically integrated. We do not have an app store for consumers. We don’t make chips. If there was a time for new partnerships it is here and now.”

戴尔(Dell)董事长兼首席执行官迈克尔•戴尔(Michael Dell)也提出了类似的建议，希望电信公司将网络与运行在其数据中心上的人工智能结合起来. “Telcos need to be a winner in this next wave,” 他说. “对网络运营商来说，这不仅关乎生产力，还关乎增长. Growing those relationships is the opportunity we see for you.”

Telcos have an enormous competitive advantage, he added. “The vast majority of data is created at the edge. Clouds and apps are moving to the edge. AI will also be at the edge. You want to bring AI to your data not the other way around. 让我们转向一个软件可升级的网络，一个真正的创新平台. 我们知道转型是艰难的，但更大的风险是如果你不去做.”

Europe Falls Behind

5G在欧洲的推广尤其缓慢，欧盟(eu)甚至在今年1月警告称，5G的低部署可能会推迟人工智能等依赖快速互联网的其他技术的发展. Although 5G has reached 80% of EU population, it is far below the 94% in Japan and the 98% in South Korea and the U.S. 根据欧盟自己的数据，到2030年，欧盟国家仍有大约4000万人无法使用固定的千兆网络连接, 因此将无法实现向所有家庭提供5G的目标.

Accenture CEO and Chair Julia Sweet into bat for telco clients. “如今的监管不允许我们在跨境做我们想做的事，”她说. “It is an industry issue too. 不同国家的个别运营单位有着深厚的文化，这使得变革具有挑战性.”

保罗Murri, VP Business Development at Italian telco TIM, 说, “5G之前的炒作是一个错误，作为运营商，我们也要承担一部分责任. We were too [intent on] following our hopes and wishes, 我们没有做数学计算，也没有事先与垂直市场分享经验. We overestimated demand. We thought everything would have happened much more quickly.”

他表示，5G频谱拍卖前的炒作抬高了价格. “In Italy, we have to pay €2.4 billion for frequencies probably driven by hype.”

他援引巴克莱银行的一份报告称，电信公司5G资本支出的回报率为5%.2% with the cost of capex at 8%. “This is an issue for future innovation,” Murri 说.

With the industry only just starting to tap into 5克独立——不依赖4g的网络——更高的性能和更低的延迟有望推动远程制作新闻和体育赛事等应用.

Looking to Sports

运营商正将目光投向体育界，因为5G有望带来个性化粉丝参与的新机会.

“When you make an investment, 你不能带着感情去做，但如果没有球迷的感情，任何投资都是有问题的,” 说 Bryan Bachner, GM for Barcelona FC’s Barca Vision and MD in the USA and APAC. Speaking at a two-day long Sports Forum running as part of MWC, 他说, “The fan is the author of their own viewing experience. 播放器有新的连接性能技术，允许他们创建和分享自己的媒体.”

Justin Castillo, Founder of Javelin Advisory in L.A., works with athletes and sports franchises. “The traditional athlete endorsement has changed. It’s no longer a photo shoot and a smile. 球迷参与的整体生命周期应该是7年以上，而不仅仅是在体育场的时间. Mobile technology strengthens the bond between talent and fan.

He cited work his agency had done with New Zealand-based 灵魂机器 创建主要体育名人的化身，与世界各地的粉丝进行实时互动.

“这些超真实的数字化身可以通过与顶级运动员联系来实现粉丝的民主化. 杰克·尼克劳斯(Jack Nicklaus)虽然已经84岁了，住在佛罗里达州，但他现在可以用多种语言与粉丝进行一对一的交流，并在虚拟世界中与粉丝们留下了永恒的遗产.”