Telcos combine computing power and connectivity to leverage enterprise demand.
Telecom operators are starting to sell artificial intelligence (AI) computing power in the same way they have sold data and voice services for years, with an eye toward growing business revenue beyond connectivity, according to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
“Business-to-business (B2B) has become a major growth engine for global carriers,” Wang Yongde, president of Huawei’s carrier XtoB domain, told Asian Telecom at the Shanghai Mobile World Congress in June.
He said intercompany revenue is growing faster than overall revenue for more than 70% of carriers worldwide.
Currently, more than half of business revenue growth comes from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while services beyond basic connectivity are expanding at an annual rate of 14%, Wang said.
He said more than 65% of carriers have launched AI strategies, including carriers such as Deutsche Telekom AG and Orange SA, as well as China’s three largest carriers.
Wang described the model as a token-as-a-service, where carriers charge customers for AI computing power based on usage, rather than a fixed subscription, similar to mobile data or voice services.
He said carriers are already packaging enterprise broadband, Wi-Fi, closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems and AI applications into standardized bundles for small and medium-sized businesses.
In China’s Yunnan province, an operator has developed a package for a pharmacy chain that combines video storage, remote maintenance, rapid response support, and centralized equipment management.
Wang said the model will be expanded to 3,000 stores nationwide, and the approach will be extended to more than 100,000 convenience and restaurant stores.
Healthcare is also a target market. Huawei and carriers have developed an AI-assisted diagnostic platform that combines communication networks, computing resources, and clinical applications to enable remote medical treatment with a response time of less than 200 milliseconds.
In China’s Guangdong province, Huawei supported an operator’s AI-assisted ultrasound system, which improved the detection accuracy of thyroid nodules by more than 95% in a major hospital, reduced implementation costs by 60%, and increased average revenue per user by 15 times, Wang said.
He said similar implementation was underway in educational settings. An AI-powered classroom program piloted in a Guangzhou elementary school has generated more than $600 in monthly revenue per class, with plans to expand the model to 15,000 schools across Guangzhou.
Wang said robotics and connected vehicles will create new growth opportunities for carriers, noting that by 2030 there will be more than 3 billion embodied intelligent robots and more than 500 million connected vehicles, as both require low-latency communications, computing and cloud infrastructure.
Huawei is supporting this change by investing in network, computing, storage, and cybersecurity infrastructure, as well as working with more than 20 telecommunications consulting companies across more than 170 countries and regions to help carriers develop enterprise AI services.
“As B2B opportunities expand in the AI era, Huawei continues to be a solid partner for carriers,” Wang said. “We will continue to innovate our information and communications technology infrastructure and work with our partners to accelerate token-based business transformation for carriers.”
