The adoption of 5.5G wireless broadband technology is a certainty, according to Chinese digital technology giant Huawei.
The combination of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and 5.5G will unlock new creative and economic potential in Thailand and Asia-Pacific, said the company.
Huawei is committed to accelerating Thailand's digital transformation through 5.5G by unlocking the country's potential to become a digital economy regional hub, said Abel Deng, president of carrier sales business at Huawei Asia-Pacific.
The global standardisation of 5.5G was completed earlier this year, marking a milestone in the sector.
"5.5G is not just about connectivity -- it's about creating a smarter, more efficient world where industries can innovate without limits," Mr Deng said.
Compared with 5G, 5.5G delivers a tenfold improvement in bandwidth speed, connection density, positioning accuracy and energy efficiency. This translates to downlink speeds of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps), uplink speeds of 1Gbps, hundreds of billions of connections, and native intelligence.
He said these advancements will better support new applications such as extended reality, the low-altitude economy, and the intelligent connection of everything, unlocking even greater digital dividends.
Mr Deng was speaking at the two-day Asia-Pacific ICT Summit Thailand 2024, co-hosted by the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, Huawei, and industry partners in GSMA, a non-profit mobile network trade group.
More than 30 types of terminals support 5.5G technology and 60 operators have commercially launched 5.5G. Operators from China to the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong to Oman have already deployed 5.5G at scale, he said.
According to IT research house IDC, AI smartphone shipments are expected to reach 170 million units in 2024, accounting for 15% of the global market. Asia-Pacific is expected to lead this growth, potentially accounting for 40-50% of these shipments.
To deliver the massive amounts of content expected in terabytes, Mr Deng said 5.5G is needed, combined with AI to unlock the economic potential in the region.
"For Thailand, it is a leader in the region's digital transformation with rapid growth in 5G adoption, driving significant advancements in industry. With the advent of 5.5G, Thailand is poised for an even more transformative phase," he said.
Mr Deng said 5G plays a more important role in the digital economic development of all countries. Research in the APAC region shows every 10% increase in 5G penetration is expected to drive 1-1.8% GDP growth.