ZTE held the 2026 Global Summit in Kuala Lumpur, announcing a shift to connectivity plus computing

The 15th ZTE Global Summit & User Congress drew more than 500 participants.

Courtesy: ZTE

ZTE unveils new AI network push

ZTE Corporation held the 15th ZTE Global Summit & User Congress under the theme "Architecting Infinity, From Connectivity to Digital Value."

The event, co-located for the first time with GSMA M360 ASEAN, is ZTE's largest annual overseas self-hosted forum and drew more than 500 participants, including government officials, ICT industry leaders, operator executives, and ecosystem partners.

ZTE Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Xie Junshi said connectivity and computing are converging as a major industry trend, with AI, communication infrastructure, and terminals functioning together as the brain, nervous system, and carrier of the broader industry shift. He said ZTE has upgraded its corporate strategy to "Connectivity plus Computing."

ZTE Senior Vice President Zhang Wanchun outlined the company's roadmap as a four-part effort spanning vision, volume, value, and venture.

At the summit, ZTE presented its AIR MAX network architecture, aimed at upgrading mobile networks for the 6G and AI era, alongside its HI-NET optical network solution for connecting AI data centers and an AI All-Optical Network platform for campus and home connectivity. The company said its NWDAF and AI-UPF systems can identify network services with over 98 percent accuracy for real-time quality monitoring.

ZTE also introduced its TCO-Optimal AI Factory, a full-stack AI computing infrastructure combining compute, storage, and networking hardware designed to lower the cost per AI token processed, alongside plans to build an open token economy with global operators, industry partners, and developers.

On the consumer side, ZTE unveiled several new devices, including the nubia Neo 5 GT and nubia Neo 5 Max gaming smartphones, the latter featuring a 7.5-inch display in a "PadPhone" form factor, and the ZTE G6 Ultra, which the company described as the world's first 5G-A Wi-Fi 8 CPE.

ZTE also showed off its AI Home portfolio of smart displays, set-top boxes, and cameras, along with newer devices including the iMoochi AI pet, the ZTE TOPFLOW livestreaming hub, and the ZTE U15S Global pocket Wi-Fi device.

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