New institute to map out future networks

The China branch of an institute for future networks was established in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Tuesday as the nation steps up its push to promote international communication and exchanges on information and communication technologies (ICT).

The China Branch of the BRICS Institute of Future Networks is designed to deepen cooperation among Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to boost the development of key technologies including 5G, artificial intelligence and information security.

Chen Zhaoxiong, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said ICT is leading a new round of technological revolution and the next decade will be a crucial one for BRICS and other developing countries to achieve rapid development.

"The new institute is of great significance to further deepen cooperation between BRICS and other developing countries, promote the application and innovation of future network technologies, and support the development of the digital economy," Chen said.

China's Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a government research institute, is in charge of building the China Branch of the BRICS Institute of Future Networks.

Liu Duo, president of CAICT, said the new high-end think tank will focus on the research of policies concerning 5G, industrial internet, artificial intelligence, the internet of vehicles, information security and other technologies.

"It is positioned to deepen international exchanges and accelerate technological innovation and applications, for instance, building a mechanism to jointly promote technical standards on ICT," Liu said.

Also, more efforts will be made to promote talent communication among the five countries and co-organize more training sessions, Liu added.

Zhao Houlin, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, said BRICS members are all developing countries and emerging markets, and they account for a very important part of the total global population. Their achievements will affect the development of the global information and communication sector.

"We also see strong innovation capabilities in these countries and they have a very good understanding of their huge population and how to offer new technologies to both urban and rural residents," Zhao said.

Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat said: "The institute is going to play a pivotal role in acting as a platform not only for BRICS countries but also other developing countries like Egypt to exchange experiences, aspirations and challenges, as well in digital technologies such as mobile cities.

"Artificial intelligence comes as one of the main pillars for our cooperation in terms of exchanging experiences and bringing Chinese technologies to Egypt," Talaat said.

"Egypt currently cooperates with all prominent Chinese ICT companies, and they are all part of the ICT sector in Egypt. We look forward to expanding this cooperation in the future."