Huawei and SOLUM Unveil Built-in IoT Solution to Accelerate Intelligent Retail Transformation

[Barcelona, Spain, March 4, 2025] At MWC Barcelona 2025, Huawei and SOLUM unveiled a built-in Internet of Things (IoT) solution for the retail industry at Huawei's special session titled "Digital and Intelligent Innovation Unlocks New Retail Growth". This solution resolves the challenges encountered in the large-scale deployment of electronic shelf labels (ESLs), offering a simplified and efficient digital approach for global retailers.

Huawei and SOLUM unveil a built-in IoT solution for the retail industry
（Left: Jianfeng Xu Vice President of Manufacturing and Large Enterprises BU，Huawei
Middle: Stefan Völkel, Senior Vice President and Head of Europe Sales at SOLUM
Right: Wang Ping, Vice President of the Campus Network Domain of Huawei's Data Communication Product Line）

The global expansion of retail chains is accelerating, and top retail powers are operating at a scale exceeding 10,000 stores. ESLs, serving as a central component of digital stores, are rapidly gaining popularity due to the high efficiency and accuracy they can bring. However, ESLs usually require connection to a separate IoT network, causing complications in power supply and signal planning. Site visits are necessary during network expansion, leading to high costs and low efficiency.

The jointly released built-in IoT solution is game-changing in that it integrates Bluetooth IoT hardware capabilities and software containers. It features innovative integration of SD-WAN and IoT modules, allowing a single network to support Wi-Fi coverage, ESL, and 5G backhaul. This simplifies store networks and reduces deployment and O&M costs for retail companies. The solution also uses dynamic channel assignment technology to prevent interference between Wi-Fi and IoT networks, and an intelligent O&M platform enables remote batch configuration. This solution can shorten the deployment period per store by more than 30% and cut the overall O&M cost in half.

During the launch event, Wang Ping, Vice President of the Campus Network Domain of Huawei's Data Communication Product Line, highlighted the retail industry's transition from connecting devices to enabling services. "By seamlessly integrating connectivity capabilities with business scenarios, we assist our clients in establishing a simplified, intelligent, and sustainable digital infrastructure," he said.

Stefan Völkel, Senior Vice President and Head of Europe Sales at SOLUM, one of the world's largest ESL suppliers, noted, "The solution enhances product deployment efficiency by threefold and is particularly suitable for installation with SOLUM ESL in fast fashion and supermarket settings with frequent price changes."

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The built-in IoT solution is a crucial component of Huawei's Smart Retail 2.0 solution and redefines the landscape of retail IoT solutions. Moving forward, Huawei is eager to collaborate with more partners to delve deeper into the retail industry and accelerate the industry's intelligent transformation.