Beijing, on the morning of May 17, was overcast and raining.
In front of Lenovo Holdings Building, Block B, Rongke Building, Zhongguancun South Road, a large blue LED screen was prominently displayed. The top is Chairman of Legend Holdings, the founder of Lenovo Group Liu Chuanzhi, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO Yang Yuanqing and President of Lenovo Holdings Zhu Linan. Open letter: 'Action, swear to win Lenovo's Honor and Defend!' The content of the open letter kept scrolling back and forth on the screen. The blue background was lined with white characters. It was particularly eye-catching in the dark cloud.
At this time, in a meeting room of Lenovo Group, No. 6 Chuangye Road, Shangdi Information Industrial Base, Haidian District, a Lenovo department was holding a mobilization meeting for employees on the incident. 'Ting Yan Qu.' Speaking of this matter Views, a Lenovo employee told the reporter. At the one-and-a-half-hour mobilization meeting, the department leader took the lead in sorting out the voting process at the 3GPP meeting that year and also reflected on Lenovo's business development.
The leaders were emotionally excited and the old employees were filled with indignation. 'I work hard at my job, I'm conscientious, and I'm so discredited as a 'traitor.' I can't accept it. 'The Lenovo strategy for products over the past few years needs reflection. But rising to the height of traitorship, this is definitely something I do not accept.' The employee said.
Not only Lenovo employees, even Liu Chuanzhi could not have expected it. In the 3GPP voting meeting in 2016, it will suddenly be exposed to fermentation on the social platform after a year and a half. It will promote Lenovo's whirlpool of public opinion and even snaking the “national thief”. The cap. When the reporter left the taxi at the headquarters of the company, the express driver was chanting. 'I heard that it was a traitorous country. Liu Chuanzhi was very angry.' 'We did not care at first. This is purely a technical issue.' 5 On the 18th of the month, in Building B of Lenovo's Beiyan Building, located in Shangdi, Lenovo's conference room 202, vice president of Lenovo Group and general manager of the Lenovo Institute’s technical strategy and innovation platform told reporters.
'Vote door'
From the beginning of May, related articles on '5G standard voting, Lenovo long code casting to Qualcomm, and short code abstention does not cast Huawei' were circulated on social networking platforms such as Shuimu BBS, Zhihu, Baidu Post Bar, etc. The records of the 3GPP meeting that year stated that at the 3GPP meeting in 2016, '5G channel data code voting, domestic manufacturers collective station Huawei (L+P, with two programs, Qualcomm's L plus Huawei's P), Lenovo took the acquisition The Motorola stationed Qualcomm together (as long as Qualcomm had a plan). Finally, Huawei did not vote for the data code. The article said that Lenovo's two votes contributed.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a standardization organization established in December 1998. As the most influential communications standardization agency in the world, 3GPP can bring together upstream and downstream manufacturers in the communications industry chain around the world to discuss communication standards. And reached a consensus, 'all kinds of manufacturers will participate, communications companies, terminal companies, etc., the meeting to achieve consensus.' Huang Ying told the reporter that the whole process of follow-up vote, '3GPP's decision-making is based on the consensus mechanism , rather than the voting mechanism. ' Huang Ying is vice president of Lenovo Group, Lenovo Research Institute of Enterprise Services Cloud Computing Research Office, Wireless Research Laboratory Leader.
According to Xie Yushan, research fellow of Jibang Tuobei Industrial Research Institute, 3GPP defines three scenarios: eM-BB (such as 3D/Ultra HD video and other large-flow mobile broadband services), mMTC (such as large-scale Internet of Things service) and URLLC (if no People driving, business automation and other services that require low latency and high reliability connections), will also determine the channel coding scheme under the URLLC scenario, and finally decide the mMTC scenario.
'More like the democratic system of Athens in ancient Greece. Voting is a misunderstanding.' Wang Wei added. Therefore, it is not a case that a company that voted like a lot of votes wins, nor is it based on the weight of the company's weight distribution. If one party strongly opposes it, it will need to discuss again until it reaches a consensus. At the meeting, it did not abstain from voting.
Two years ago, the fuse that traced back the incident was the 3rd meeting of the 3GPP in 2016 on the future standard specification of 5G technology, namely 86 meetings, 86b meetings and 87 meetings.
The reporter found the meeting record of August 2016 from the official website of 3GPP. The 3GPP conference held in Sweden was a proposal meeting for the 5G coding technology program. During the meeting, there were three proposals put forward. The first one was LDPC, Qualcomm, and Samsung. ZTE, Xiaomi and others all support this proposal; Option 2 is Polar, Huawei, Hais, China Unicom, Spreadtrum, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, etc.; Option 3 is the Turbo solution. At this stage, Lenovo and Motorola did not stand.
According to Xie Yushan, research fellow of Jibang Tuobei Industrial Research Institute, 5G network technology includes network slicing, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), control of bearer separation and network function reconstruction, and other key technologies for wireless transmission, including large-scale Multi-input multi-output (MIMO), millimeter wave (Millimeter wave), new multiple access technology, carrier aggregation, high-density network (Ultra-Dense Network), advanced coding technology, etc. Advanced coding technology is for 5G air interface coding and modulation technology, including LDPC code, Polar code, modulation method, etc. (Turbo code loses in the first round of competition. Basically, the general trend has already gone, that is, the 5G coding dispute will eventually evolve into a polar code and LDPC code dispute. ).
The LDPC (Data Channel Coding) code is dominated by U.S. companies (such as Qualcomm, etc.), and the Polar (Signaling Channel Coding) code is dominated by Chinese companies such as Huawei. Currently Polar code is a control channel coding scheme for 5G eMBB scenarios on the 5G core standard.
In the 86b meeting, the first appearance of Lenovo's presence. At this meeting, 29 companies such as Samsung, Qualcomm, Nokia, Lenovo, etc. voted to support LDPC as a separate coding scheme. Huawei, Hass, China Unicom, Vivo , ZTE, Xiaomi and other 27 companies voted to support the Polar code as the coding standard for the 5G data channel. Different companies also explained their coding proposal. For example, Sony proposed that LDPC coding methods are more mature, especially in terms of high throughput. The Polar code is not mature enough. Similarly, Huawei, Hass also explained its own Polar code.
The difference from the 86th meeting was that there were three rounds of games in the 86b meeting. Huang Ying recalled that in the first round, 29 companies including Qualcomm, Samsung, Lenovo, and Shanghai Bell supported the LDPC program, and 27 companies including Huawei and Xiaomi supported the Polar program. Since the consensus could not be reached, the meeting entered the second round.
In the second round of the Lisbon conference, there were four proposals for compromise: LDPC only, Polar only, LD-PC+Polar, LDPC+Turbo. Among which Lenovo selected LDPC only, Huawei chose only Polar, Huawei affiliates, Xiaomi, etc. Chinese companies chose LDPC+Polar, a few companies selected LDPC+Turbo. However, differences still existed and entered the third round of discussions.
In the third round, there are long-short code schemes, namely LDPC only, Polar only, LDPC long code + Po-lar short code, LDPC long code + Turbo short code four options. The chairman of the meeting requested member companies to express opinions in reverse, Do not approve of the plan, and this voting method is also to achieve consensus more efficiently. Participating voting companies did not disapprove of using LDPC codes for long codes, but they insisted on short codes. At this time, the hour hand already pointed to 3 o'clock in the morning. The chairman of the meeting announced that it will set the long code first. Next time the data channel short code and control channel will be discussed, but he emphasized that it must be determined next time.
The story continued to evolve, and at the 87th meeting in November 2016, the conference must determine the coding scheme used for the short code and the control channel. According to the minutes of the meeting, in one of the proposals, the Polar code was supported as the coding scheme for the short code. There are 57 companies including Huawei, Hass, Alibaba, Lenovo, Motorola, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Ericsson, Qualcomm, Nokia, and Samsung are opposed to the proposal. As for why they still insist on both short codes and long codes. The reason for adopting LDPC is that these 14 companies have strong opposition, and 3GPP is also a meeting based on the consensus mechanism to make decisions. Therefore, under multiple compromises and communication, all companies finally agree to adopt LDPC on the short channel of data channels. The coding scheme, at the same time, all companies also agreed to use Polar code on the control channel. 'This can also be seen as a strategy, we concede on the data channel, they will not oppose Polar on the control channel.' Wang Hao said.
Therefore, in an article from the user known as Fan Xing. xfanplus "5G standard voting, Lenovo long code to vote for Qualcomm, short code abstention does not cast Huawei" in the expression does not meet the facts.
This article said, '5G channel data code voting, domestic manufacturers collective Huawei (L + P, with two programs, Qualcomm's L plus Huawei's P), Lenovo with the acquisition of Motorola Qualcomm station (as long as a set of solutions for Qualcomm ). Huawei's rival ZTE took the lead in the competition with Huawei, Friends OPPO, Xiaomi vivo, etc. Even Taiwanese companies all voted for Huawei'. In fact, at the 86b conference, only Huawei supported the Polar code as the only data channel. Coding scheme: Even if there is no Lenovo participation in voting, LDPC as one of the coding schemes is also undisputed, obtaining support from companies other than Huawei, and after all compromises, eventually all companies agree that LDPC is a long code for data channel coding. In the second place, the data channel's short code and control code vote, that is, 87 meetings, according to the record, Lenovo and Motorola did vote Polar code, not the waiver in the text. As for the 86b and 87th meetings. Finally, LDPC won the data channel. The reason was not the difference between Lenovo and Motorola, but the result of a compromise based on a consensus mechanism. At the #86bis conference, Lenovo and Motorola Mobile, for their own technical and patent reserve considerations, supported Samsung (rather than Netcom's Qualcomm) to take the lead in adopting LDPC as the only encoding scheme for eMBB data channels. But Lenovo’s position did not address the conference. The results played a decisive role. The two votes of Lenovo and Motorola Mobile had no real effect on the loss of Polar code on the data channel long code. ' Lenovo released its vote on the 5G standard on the 3GPP conference on its official Weibo on May 16th. After that, it is said.
As stated in the statement, 'Lenovo and Motorola Mobile support Samsung (rather than Netcom's Qualcomm) to take LDPC as the only encoding scheme for eMBB data channel because of its own technical and patent reserves. Fu Liang told reporters that different The standards, or different solutions, are actually different for the use of various resources. Different companies may invest in R&D in different directions. The adaptation environment for different coding schemes may not be the same, and there are also patent fees. The difference. Fu Liang has been engaged in communications industry research for many years and is a well-known independent TMT analyst.
The rise of this incident to the height of nationalism is even more confusing to him. 'The investment criteria are not related to patriotism.' Fu Liang said that 5G voting is a process of repeated debates. The ultimate goal is to form a globally uniform standard. This standard is neither China nor the United States or any other country, nor will it be Huawei or Qualcomm. Both LDPC and Polar have already proposed it, even if they are called Qualcomm and Huawei, which represent two camps. It also supports both LDPC and Polar. Due to different technologies, in fact, there is no objection to the adoption of LD-PC in data channel long code. This is a major breakthrough in the formation of a unified 5G standard globally.
As for why Lenovo chose the Polar code as the coding scheme for short code and control channel in the second ballot, Huang Ying explained that this is indeed based on the overall situation, and although Lenovo's technical patent reserves on the Polar code are insufficient, it is also similar. We will develop and lay out Polar code technology in the future. 'This is a new coding scheme, which means more opportunities.' Huang Ying said.
The 'eMBB scenario' channel coding scheme adopts Polar code as the control channel scheme. For Chinese operators, only when they are selected to adopt a solution can they play a key role in their own industry development. In the future, they will also have more chips, components and equipment. The advantage is that product R&D has more impact. Taking Huawei as an example, in the future, it will break through key links such as core chips and high-frequency devices (gradually mastering 5G terminals, chips, components, etc.). Currently, Huawei is the third largest in the world. Leading mobile phone industry and communication equipment will help support the development of 5G technology and the establishment of an industrial ecological chain. Xie Yushan, Research Associate of Jibang Tuobei Industrial Research Institute, stated that 5G technology puts forward higher requirements for channel coding and needs to support a wider range of code blocks. And more coding rates. With the Polar code winning in the eMBB scenario, on behalf of the rise of China's telecommunications industry, the international status has significantly improved.
'Fire extinguishing effect'
At the beginning of May, this incident two years ago was inexplicably revealed. Lenovo was involved in the whirlwind of public opinion. In the Huituo big sensation analysis platform, the search for 'Lenovo+Saving Country' keyword found the earliest article was May 10th. In a post on the Nishuishu community, in the '5G standard vote, the evidence of Lenovo’s quest to sell the country has been settled!'. The reporter’s earliest post that was found on the platform of Hui Tosi’s “5G standard + Lenovo” was A post on the May 5th forum on 'The Dragon's Sky' stated that 'To get me' (Internet game refers to Lenovo) voted Qualcomm with two votes in the 5G long code and abstained in the short code. ZTE took the lead in the short code to Huawei. Two votes, Qualcomm and Huawei are the two main competition programs', but neither of these two posts elaborated on the reason for voting. Until May 10, they knew that the last one was named "5g Standard Voting, Lenovo Long Code voted for Qualcomm. , the short-code waiver does not vote for Huawei article appears, the article has been deleted, but still can be seen in the reprinted website. The article shows the voting record in the 3GPP meeting, saying that Huawei lost with a weak disadvantage, did not succeed Next, Lenovo's two votes contributed.
This article has indeed contributed to the media's boost in public opinion, and Lenovo did not "explain" in the five days thereafter. Its response speed is even worse than Huawei. On May 11, Lenovo's official Weibo transferred. Huawei supports Lenovo's statement. Huawei stated in its official Weibo blog that it would like to thank Lenovo and its Motorola mobile team for voting on the Polar code program at the 5G voting conference held by the 3GPP. Until May 16, Liu Chuanzhi and Yang Yuanqing He An internal letter of Zhu Linan once again brought the public opinion to a climax. The letter stated that during the entire voting process, Lenovo Group representatives followed two principles: One is basic, to protect the interests of their own companies; there is a higher one. The principle is to focus on the overall situation. What is the overall situation? The overall situation is the overall interests of the country and the development of the industry.
The leaders of Lenovo expressed their indignation in the letter. 'Brothers and sisters, it's time for us to stand up and stand up. If we don’t allow tens of thousands of employees to be self-protected, we’re still doing business. We’re just a bunch of waste. Lenovo's cadres must take active actions. All colleagues should actively offer advice and suggestions. They must unite with one another and share the same enemies and swear to win this Lenovo honor battle!' Even Lenovo Group is mobilizing its own employees to post messages on the Internet for clarification. The open letter was issued less than 10 hours, Liu Chuanzhi recorded another audio talk about the matter.
From May 16th to 17th, Lenovo’s official Weibo statement issued a clarification on the voting event of the year. However, on the statistics of HuiTuoSi sensation monitoring platform, the two days were just events spread by the Internet. Nearly 1 times.
'The pressure of the outside world is like a pressure cooker. Entertainment information is under different pressures, but some information is particularly stressful and it is easy to open it.' Chen Peng, director of the Department of Communication at Nankai University, told reporters, 'Technology Core' The chip issue and the trade issue have become a very big focus of public opinion. The pressure on the public opinion environment to withstand is very high. Therefore, anything related to this issue will inspire our association or curiosity. Especially when it comes to such national feelings. All the pressures are built. Once these two points are touched, one is whether the technical core is mastered. One is whether national feelings are hurt or not. Some pressure on the external environment can easily trigger pain points. 'Chen Peng said that other than the public opinion With its own internal features, this incident is to put together two very famous brands in China. These two brands have a certain appeal. For example, Huawei's mobile phones and Lenovo's computers are used by us. Therefore, it is particularly easy. Bringing the feelings between the consumer and the information closer to one another. The content of the information itself creates some contradictions that motivate the two in public opinion. The pressure on.
According to the public opinion platform, when Lenovo began to clarify, on the 16th and 17th, negative reports on the incident began to increase. 'Huawei Lenovo has issued a clarification that it may trigger a second upsurge, but it is unfavorable. This is in communication. Called 'fire-fighting effect', it is a gust of wind blowing, the wind stops, the flames sway, and it may be getting bigger and bigger. People see clarification and feel that there is something wrong with this. ' Chen Peng told reporters that when there is such a fake When news is false news, not only enterprises face this problem, society must participate in governance, so as to make information negative effects or harm.
For Lenovo's public relations crisis, Fu Liang said, 'I always think that misunderstandings provide a good opportunity for publicity. In the 5G standard voting, Lenovo did not seize, weak, and evaded questioning responses, leading to sensational fermentation. Lenovo's full force may indeed reverse the spread to a certain extent, but it does not really eliminate the challenge.
Lenovo's 5G layout
Regardless of whether there is a conspiracy theory, Lenovo has indeed reached a Kaner, which is related to changes in the environment of the entire industry. According to records released by Lenovo's 2017 and 2018 financial results, it shows that for the personal computers and smart devices in China, the company At the second quarter 2017 fiscal year performance announcement, despite the slowdown in the market, it hopes to respond to business momentum through more innovative products and the introduction and expansion of sales channels.
In May this year, the company set up a smart device group to merge the two PCs PCSC and mobile phone MBG business. In fact, the changes in the industry environment began to appear from 2015, according to ZDC statistics show that in the 2015 Chinese notebook market, Lenovo Leading the brand list with about 30% market awareness (from the ZDC report of the Internet Consumer Research Center), but according to the overall market, market research firm Gartner reported that global PC shipments in the third quarter of the year decreased by 7.7% year-on-year, according to Institutional data, Lenovo still ranked first in market share in global PC vendor unit shipments in 2016, but it dropped by 2.4% compared to 2015.
At the same time, Lenovo had a layout on 5G. Huang Ying said: 'Lenovo's layout in 5G is still very global and technically very deep. Besides the patent, we also have a layout on the product. Lenovo actually The industry should be said to be the most contacted with the consumer society, the most complete company, not only has a computer phone tablet, there are now wearable, 5G era hope to have more various smart devices.
In an article in the Lenovo Institute official website, Lenovo detailed the layout of Lenovo on 5G. The article said that Lenovo Research Institute will further study the core technologies of 5G and future mobile communications, mainly including enhanced mobile broadband communications (eMBB), large-scale machines. Communication (mMTC) and Ultra-Reliable Low-latency Communication (URLLC) Three scenarios to generate high-performance algorithms and systems. Actively participate in the 3GPP LTE/5G technical specification formulation, establish Lenovo 5G independent intellectual property rights. Future Lenovo will be in the smart In the networking age, master 5G key technologies, form a competitive core patent pool, and create more abundant experiences and services for users in more vertical industries.