ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Technews devider ZTE goes all-in with AI at MWC Barcelona 2026

ZTE goes all-in with AI at MWC Barcelona 2026

Published Mar 12, 2026 10:35 am
ZTE unveiled a portfolio of artificial intelligence and connectivity innovations at MWC Barcelona 2026, presenting eight technologies spanning next-generation networks, intelligent computing infrastructure, AI agent platforms, and smart terminal devices under the theme "Creating an Intelligent Future."
ZTE, trading on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen exchanges, organized its booth around four core domains — AI-Powered Network Connectivity, AI Computing, AI Home, and Smart Personal Devices — demonstrating what the company calls an "All in AI, AI for All" strategy built on its upgraded "Connectivity + Computing" framework.
The eight breakthrough technologies
Among the most notable announcements, ZTE introduced GigaMIMO, described as the world's first 6G prototype featuring more than 2,000 antenna elements in the U6G band. Powered by AI algorithms, the prototype is designed to deliver ten times the capacity of 5G-Advanced, alongside a live demonstration of what ZTE calls the industry's first AI-driven immersive service in the U6G band.
In fixed broadband, ZTE released a 200G PON prototype supporting multi-ONU burst upstream transmission at rates up to 200 Gbps — a first for the industry. The company also launched Wi-Fi 8, the industry's first commercial Wi-Fi 8 CPE and Mesh solution, positioning the product as enabling real 10G home connectivity.
For enterprise AI infrastructure, ZTE introduced Co-Sight AI Agent Studio, an industrial-grade intelligent agent platform the company says has ranked first in both GAIA and HLE benchmark evaluations. The platform is designed to deliver accurate, reliable, and secure agent workflows for enterprise environments.
On the computing infrastructure side, the SuperPOD solution adopts an Orthogonal Electrical eXchange architecture with a zero-cable design, supporting up to 128 GPUs per rack and enabling both scale-up and scale-out networking configurations.
Mobile and autonomous network advancements
ZTE's AIR MAX platform introduces what it describes as a ten-block AI stack powering a three-tier capability architecture — covering AI-native infrastructure, L4 autonomous network operations, and a monetization engine. The company positions the platform as reshaping mobile networks into an "AI serves AI" paradigm.
For optical networks, ZTE outlined a three-stage evolution roadmap — from fiberization to all-optical networks and ultimately to AI optical networks — anchored in the HI-NET solution featuring C+L full-band integrated 1.6Tbps transmission with built-in AI computing.
In campus and enterprise connectivity, ZTE launched what it calls the industry's first 5-in-1 50G PON integrated service gateway, alongside enterprise FTTR gateways combining optical connectivity, video security, and computing and storage capabilities. The company's AIR Net autonomous network solution has received TMF certification, and is currently deployed with multiple global operators.
Smarthome and terminal devices
ZTE reported annual smart home terminal shipments exceeding 100 million units and claimed the top global position in CPE, IP set-top box, Wi-Fi 7 terminal, FWA, and MBB product shipments. The company introduced AI Mid-Screen, a smart display featuring a dual-brain, dual-screen architecture integrating entertainment, communication, security, and smart home control.
In smartphones, ZTE highlighted the nubia M153 — launched in China in December 2025 — featuring Doubao AI Assistant for cross-app task execution. The company's gaming-focused REDMAGIC and nubia Neo series were also showcased as part of its broader youth-oriented brand strategy.
ZTE's data center offering, the Elastic AIDC solution, claims a 40% reduction in construction time versus traditional approaches and a 25% improvement in overall energy efficiency through cold-plate and immersion cooling combined with an 800V HVDC system.
Global presence and ecosystem strategy
ZTE operates across more than 160 countries and regions and participated in multiple GSMA thematic forums at MWC Barcelona 2026, covering topics including Corporate Innovation, Intelligent Infrastructure, Connect AI, Tech4ALL, and Game Changer. The company also hosted its own events at the show, including the AI New Species Release and the AIR MAX for Future Network Launch Event.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.