ZTE Highlights 'AI Agentic Connectivity' at MWC

ZTE's "AI Agentic Connectivity" moves beyond "AI-assisted" networks to an "AI-native" architecture where intelligence is embedded directly into the network's foundation. This approach is designed to manage the increasing complexity and data traffic from 5G, IoT, and future 6G systems. The goal is to create autonomous networks that can proactively predict and resolve issues without human intervention. This shift treats the network less like a passive data pipe and more like a dynamic, intelligent system. AI agents, which are autonomous software entities, continuously monitor, analyze, and optimize network traffic in real-time. This enables capabilities like predictive maintenance, dynamic resource allocation, and self-healing networks that can automatically reroute traffic to avoid congestion or failures. At MWC, ZTE is showcasing its AIR MAX solution, which is a 10-block AI stack that supports this AI-native infrastructure and aims to enable Level-4 autonomous network operations. This level of autonomy is critical for managing the anticipated surge in uplink traffic from AI applications, which is expected to be significantly higher than traditional apps. The company has already seen commercial deployments of its native-AI solutions reduce video service quality issues by 80% and lower 5G base station energy consumption by over 12%. The core technology involves embedding AI capabilities directly into network hardware, such as baseband units (BBUs), and using a framework of AIOps (AI for IT Operations) and NetDevOps. This allows for real-time data analysis and decision-making at the network edge. For optical networks, ZTE has a three-stage evolution plan that moves from basic fiberization to fully AI-governed optical networks. ZTE is also presenting its GigaMIMO 6G prototype, which features over 2,000 antenna elements and uses AI algorithms to deliver a tenfold capacity increase compared to 5G-Advanced. This is part of a broader strategy to prepare for a future where "service agents" and AI applications are primary network users, requiring integrated sensing, data processing, and intelligence from the network itself. For enterprises, ZTE is developing tools like the Co-Claw and Co-Sight AI Agent Studio, which allow businesses to create their own intelligent agents for operational tasks. The company's Elastic AIDC data center solution is designed to support the intense computing demands of these AI systems, reducing construction time by 40% and increasing energy efficiency by 25% through advanced cooling and power systems. This strategy extends to the user's home and personal devices. The company is developing an "AI Home" ecosystem centered around a family-focused vDC (virtual Data Center) and AI agents to provide personalized services. At MWC, they are debuting new Wi-Fi 8 solutions and the nubia M153 smartphone, which will feature a technical preview of ByteDance's Doubao AI assistant.