Category: 3. Business

[Barcelona, Spain, March 2, 2026] Huawei launched its AN L4 Phase 2 solution today at the Autonomous Networks Summit co-hosted with TM Forum as part of this year’s MWC Barcelona 2026 activities. The event, themed “Collaborating to Accelerate AN L4 Deployment at Scale” was attended by executives from leading telecom carriers, including China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica, and Orange, who discussed how the large-scale commercial adoption of autonomous networks will inject new momentum into intelligent transformation across the industry.

The AN industry identified high-value L4 scenarios and an implementation blueprint in 2025, and more breakthroughs in large-scale deployment are expected to be made in 2026. The commercial AN L4 Phase 2 solution is being launched to address bottlenecks in large-scale deployment, such as cross-domain integration and cross-scenario coordination. Huawei’s new solution makes breakthroughs in three areas.

Foundational network element (NE) awareness for network autonomy: At the NE layer, the solution has enhanced millisecond-level awareness and decision-making capabilities to provide stable and reliable data and execution support for complex collaboration.

AI agent collaboration for domain-specific autonomy: At the network layer, the solution creates domain-specific network agents to coordinate and plan tasks in different scenarios across the domain, such as fault management, energy efficiency optimization, and experience assurance. This enables the evolution from scenario-specific automation to network autonomy.

A2A-T protocol for cross-layer, cross-domain integration: To support complex agent collaboration across the network layer, services layer, and even different equipment suppliers, the solution has introduced A2A-T, the world’s first carrier-grade AI agent communication protocol. Huawei and China Mobile also announced an A2A-T open-source software program to accelerate the protocol’s global adoption and application.

At the summit, a number of AN industry players shared their own best practices, and China Mobile also launched new AN L4 innovations. The launch was attended by representatives from several companies that supported these innovation projects, among them Cao Ming, Huawei’s ICT BG COO and CIO.

A recommitment ceremony titled “Accelerating Large-Scale AN L4 Deployment” was also held at the summit, with industry leaders including TM Forum, China Mobile, Orange, Telefónica, Huawei, Infovista and Inspur reaffirming their commitment to accelerating the implementation of the AN L4 industry blueprint and driving a transition for AN L4 from innovation pilots to global commercial adoption.

Huawei believes that the large-scale commercial adoption of AN L4 will be key to intelligent upgrade across industry, so the company plans to continue working with industry partners to achieve this goal faster and move towards an era of agentic networks.

MWC Barcelona 2026 will be held from March 2 to March 5 in Barcelona, Spain. During the event, Huawei will showcase its latest products and solutions at stand 1H50 in Fira Gran Via Hall 1.

The era of agentic networks is now approaching fast, and the commercial adoption of 5G-A at scale is gaining speed. Huawei is actively working with carriers and partners around the world to unleash the full potential of 5G-A and pave the way for the evolution to 6G. We are also creating AI-Centric Network solutions to enable intelligent services, networks, and network elements (NEs), speeding up the large-scale deployment of level-4 autonomous networks (AN L4), and using AI to upgrade our core business. Together with other industry players, we will create leading value-driven networks and AI computing backbones for a fully intelligent future.

For more information, please visit: https://carrier.huawei.com/en/minisite/events/mwc2026/

[Barcelona, Spain, March 2, 2026] At Huawei Product & Solution Launch 2026 at MWC Barcelona 2026, Yuan Yuan, President of Huawei Data Storage Product Line, officially launched Huawei’s AI Data Platform. The platform integrates the three key technologies of knowledge generation and retrieval, memory extraction and recall, KV cache for inference acceleration, as well as Unified Cache Manager (UCM) for inference memory. It bridges the gap between models and business value.

Despite rapid AI advancement, most AI models have not been thoroughly integrated into carriers’ core services. This is largely due to more focus on training than inference, which is the key to model adoption. Improved data processing is needed to address challenges like AI hallucinations, slow response, and throughput constraints in inference.

Huawei Data Storage officially launched a “3+1” AI Data Platform to tackle these challenges through three breakthrough technologies and the software:

• Knowledge generation and retrieval with high-accuracy multimodal knowledge for more accurate retrieval

For smart search applications, this technology converts multimodal resources (like text, images, and videos) into high-accuracy knowledge through multimodal lossless parsing and token-level encoding, ensuring a retrieval accuracy of over 95%.

• Memory extraction and recall with context memory management for making models smarter with use

In business data insight scenarios, this technology can define problems and understand user intent through personalized memory when faced with tasks. It then breaks down tasks using episodic memory (or experience-based memory). This memory mechanism makes models smarter with use.

• KV cache for inference acceleration using historical memory data for faster and more efficient inference

In AI customer service scenarios, this technology applies intelligent tiering and management for KV cache to greatly expand the context window and reduce repeated computing. This results in a 90% reduction in time to first token (TTFT), significantly improving the speed of AI responses.

• UCM for managing and scheduling memory data throughout the lifecycle

The software manages memory data at three cache levels to intelligently schedule the knowledge base, memory bank, and KV cache.

The Huawei AI Data Platform provides the appliance mode for greenfield deployment and independent mode for evolving deployment. The appliance mode uses the OceanStor A800 system that integrates three key technologies, computing power, and applications. This ensures ultimate performance and flexible scalability. The independent mode uses the architecture of AI data engine nodes + OceanStor Dorado storage. Data engine nodes can be added to upgrade existing systems, protect prior investments, and enable smooth AI transformation for businesses.

“Huawei will continue to deepen technological innovation. With the AI Data Platform serving as a bridge, we will transform model capabilities into real business value and work with all parties to embrace the future of intelligent computing,” said Yuan Yuan.

MWC Barcelona 2026 will be held from March 2 to March 5 in Barcelona, Spain. During the event, Huawei will showcase its latest products and solutions at stand 1H50 in Fira Gran Via Hall 1.

The era of agentic networks is now approaching fast, and the commercial adoption of 5G-A at scale is gaining speed. Huawei is actively working with carriers and partners around the world to unleash the full potential of 5G-A and pave the way for the evolution to 6G. We are also creating AI-Centric Network solutions to enable intelligent services, networks, and network elements (NEs), speeding up the large-scale deployment of level-4 autonomous networks (AN L4), and using AI to upgrade our core business. Together with other industry players, we will create leading value-driven networks and AI computing backbones for a fully intelligent future.

For more information, please visit: https://carrier.huawei.com/en/minisite/events/mwc2026/

[Barcelona, Spain, March 2, 2026] At the Huawei product and solution launch event during MWC Barcelona 2026, Bob Chen, President of Huawei Optical Business Product Line, unveiled Next Generation Optical Network products and solutions to foster synergy between AI and networks, accelerating the evolution toward AI-centric All-Optical Network.

AI is rapidly penetrating home scenarios such as entertainment, education, and healthcare, while computing scheduling is becoming ubiquitous. These developments present new opportunities for operators but also raise higher demands on network bandwidth, latency, and reliability. Therefore, upgrading optical networks for the AI era is the right move. The ITU-T has officially released the ION-2030 vision, defining key capabilities, application scenarios, and standardization roadmap for next-generation optical networks. Leading global operators are also accelerating the deployment of next-generation optical networks.

Bob Chen stated, “Huawei advances Next Generation Optical Network solutions in two directions: AI for Networks and Networks for AI. In AI for Networks, AI technologies enable intelligent fiber sensing, enhance network performance and user experience, improve O&M efficiency, and reduce energy consumption. In Networks for AI, enhanced network capabilities help operators build AI-centric all-optical target networks, accelerating AI adoption across homes and enterprises.”

AI for Networks: Improving Network Quality and Efficiency

Intelligent fiber sensing: Based on the fiber risk sensing model and fault identification model, risks can be identified in advance, and the fault location can be pinpointed within 10 meters.

Network performance enhancement: An optical performance simulation model, built on thousands of optical parameters, significantly enhances the precision of network performance evaluation and extends the transmission distance by 20%.

Network experience enhancement: Wi-Fi interference can be detected in real time, and AI algorithms intelligently adjust Wi-Fi power, boosting rates by 20% under interference conditions.

Energy saving: Service traffic is analyzed in real time, and ports and boards are intelligently adjusted. When there is no traffic, all ports and boards are put into hibernation, reducing average energy consumption by 40%.

Intelligent O&M: AI technologies are used to enhance the intelligence of network planning, construction, maintenance, and optimization processes. For example, the home broadband O&M agent can automatically identify and locate over 60 types of faults, and assist NOC O&M engineers in resolving them quickly through natural language interaction, significantly reducing home visits.

Networks for AI: Accelerating AI Popularization

Optical access: A target network with gigabit-level downlink and 100M-level uplink is built to meet the bandwidth requirements of new home AI services and enhance the overall home network experience.

Optical transmission: The latency circles of 5 ms for national networks, 3 ms for regional networks, and 1 ms for metro networks are built to enable millisecond-level computing access and ensure optimal AI application performance.

Huawei has been continuously innovating and has launched a full series of products and solutions for Next Generation Optical Network. In the optical access domain, Huawei has introduced Next Generation FAN products such as FTTR, OLT, ONT, and ODN. In the optical transmission domain, Huawei has released Next Generation OTN products for OTN backbone, OTN optical layer, and OTN metro networks, helping operators build Agentic UBB networks. Huawei hopes to work with all industry partners to advance the development of next-generation optical networks and embrace new growth in the AI era.

MWC Barcelona 2026 will be held from March 2 to March 5 in Barcelona, Spain. During the event, Huawei will showcase its latest products and solutions at stand 1H50 in Fira Gran Via Hall 1.

The era of agentic networks is now approaching fast, and the commercial adoption of 5G-A at scale is gaining speed. Huawei is actively working with carriers and partners around the world to unleash the full potential of 5G-A and pave the way for the evolution to 6G. We are also creating AI-Centric Network solutions to enable intelligent services, networks, and network elements (NEs), speeding up the large-scale deployment of level-4 autonomous networks (AN L4), and using AI to upgrade our core business. Together with other industry players, we will create leading value-driven networks and AI computing backbones for a fully intelligent future.

For more information, please visit: https://carrier.huawei.com/en/minisite/events/mwc2026/

The United Arab Emirates has closed its main stock exchanges amid a widening conflict in the region following the United States and Israel’s attacks on Iran.

The UAE’s financial regulator on Sunday announced that its key exchanges in Dubai and Abu Dhabi would not immediately reopen after the weekend break amid the fallout of the US-Israeli attacks that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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The announcement that the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market would remain closed on Monday and Tuesday came after the UAE was hit with hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks, including a strike on Abu Dhabi’s main airport that killed one person and wounded seven others.

The UAE’s Capital Markets Authority said in a statement that it would continue to monitor developments in the region and “assess the situation on an ongoing basis, taking any further measures as necessary”.

Here is all you need to know about the move.

Why has the UAE decided to shut its main stock exchanges?

The financial regulator did not elaborate on the rationale for its decision, only saying that it was taken in accordance with its “supervisory and regulatory role” in managing the country’s financial markets.

While closing the stock market outside of scheduled breaks is relatively unusual worldwide, especially in the era of electronic trading, it is not unprecedented.

Typically, when financial authorities halt stock trading during a crisis, it is because they are concerned about panic selling.

During periods of extreme volatility, such as wars and financial crises, investors often rush to sell their holdings to avoid suffering big losses.

As investors sell their stocks, the market value falls further.

This dynamic can spur a vicious cycle that, left unchecked, can lead to a full-blown market crash.

Since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, stock markets around the world have seen significant – though not catastrophic – losses, while oil prices have risen sharply.

Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul All Share Index fell more than 4 percent on Sunday, while Egypt’s EGX 30 dropped about 2.5 percent.

In Asia, major stock markets closed lower on Monday, with Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index down about 1.4 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.

The practice of shutting the market to prevent panic selling is controversial among economists and investors.

Closing the market prevents investors from accessing cash they might need in a hurry.

Critics also argue that such closures only exacerbate the sense of panic they seek to prevent and distort important signals about the market.

“Investors don’t like uncertainty, and at times of market stress, liquidity is most important. It appears the UAE just took that away,” Burdin Hickok, a professor at New York University’s School of Professional Studies, told Al Jazeera.

“This move has the potential of diminishing the status of Dubai as a true major market and weaken investor confidence in the Dubai markets. There has to be some concern about capital flight and negative ripple effects.”

Has this happened before?

The UAE has closed its stock exchanges before, though not due to regional conflict.

In 2022, the UAE halted trading as part of a period of mourning declared to mark the death of President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The emirate announced a similar pause following the death of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in 2006.

“Historically, to the best of my knowledge, no Middle Eastern state, including Israel, has closed its stock exchange during a time of regional conflict,” Hickok said.

“In prior conflicts, Israel has modified hours of their exchange, but we are talking hours, not days.”

Other countries have shuttered their stock markets during periods of major turmoil in recent years.

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, authorities shut the Moscow Exchange for nearly a month.

In 2011, Egypt shut its stock exchange for nearly two months as the country was grappling with the upheaval of the Arab Spring.

After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq halted trading for six days, the longest suspension since the Great Depression.

How important is the UAE’s stock market?

The UAE is a relatively small player in the world of capital markets, though it has made significant inroads in recent years.

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market have a combined market capitalisation of about $1.1 trillion.

By comparison, the New York Stock Exchange, the world’s biggest bourse, has a market capitalisation of about $44 trillion.

Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Exchange, the biggest exchange in the Middle East, is valued at more than $3 trillion.

Still, the UAE’s stature among financial markets has been on the rise.

Before the latest crisis, UAE-listed stocks had been on a winning streak.

The Dubai Financial Market General Index, which includes companies such as Emirates NBD and Emaar Properties, rose more than 29 percent in the 12 months to February 27.

Haytham Aoun, an assistant professor of finance at the American University in Dubai, said while the UAE could see some outflow of foreign capital, the country’s economy remains on a strong footing.

“A temporary stock market closure will have a limited impact on long-term economic variables, provided the fundamentals remain strong,” Aoun told Al Jazeera.

“In the UAE case, it’s a precautionary intervention, and not a sign of structural weakness.”

Gold and silver prices witnessed a sharp rise in both international and local markets on Monday, as bullion markets reacted to global economic trends.

In the international bullion market, spot gold surged 1.88% to $5,376.44 per ounce as of 0632 GMT, after hitting its highest point in over four weeks. Earlier in the session, bullion prices climbed as much as 2%.

In the local market, gold also saw significant gains. The price of gold per tola rose by Rs13,300 to Rs563,862, while the 10-gram gold price increased by Rs11,402 to Rs483,420.

Read: Gold hits $5,278 an ounce after sharp increase

Spot silver rose 1.3% to $95 per ounce, following a monthly gain in February. Meanwhile, spot platinum increased 0.8% to $2,383.50 per ounce, and palladium advanced 2.3% to $1,826.59 per ounce.

Silver prices followed suit, with silver per tola climbing Rs188 to Rs10,050, and the 10-gram silver price increasing by Rs161 to Rs8,616.

Yesterday, in the domestic market, the price of gold per tola increased by Rs10,000 to Rs540,562, while the price per 10 grams rose by Rs8,574 to Rs472,018.

Silver prices also recorded an increase, with the rate per tola climbing by Rs388 to Rs9,862. The price of silver per 10 grams rose by Rs333 to Rs8,455.