Technology

LENDINGTREE REPORTS SECOND QUARTER 2024 RESULTS

Published

2 months ago

July 25, 2024

Insurance Segment Continues Strong Rebound Driving 15% Revenue Growth

Consolidated revenue of $210.1 millionGAAP net income of $7.8 million or $0.58 per diluted shareVariable marketing margin of $70.9 millionAdjusted EBITDA of $23.5 millionAdjusted net income per share of $0.54

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ: TREE), operator of LendingTree.com, the nation’s leading online financial services marketplace, today announced results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024.

The company has posted a letter to shareholders on the company’s website at investors.lendingtree.com.

“Our Insurance segment generated exceptional growth in the second quarter with revenue more than doubling from the prior year period. We expect our leading market position will result in meaningfully larger revenue generation through the remainder of this year,” said Doug Lebda, Chairman and CEO. “Our company continues to benefit from the diversity of our business model. As Insurance continues to grow both revenue and VMD, we are leaning into our highest margin Consumer segment to acquire more high-intent customers for our lender partners.”

Scott Peyree, President and COO, commented, “The growth in our Insurance business during the quarter well surpassed our expectations, and led us to beat the high end of our quarterly revenue guidance. For most of the last two years, our team focused on matching the highest quality consumers searching for insurance policies with limited carrier demand. We are now seeing the benefit of that focus. We have been employing that same strategy in our Consumer business, improving our relationship with our network lenders by helping them close more loans with our consumers to position ourselves ahead of any future improvement in lending conditions.”

Jason Bengel, CFO, added, “I am very excited to assume CFO responsibilities at LendingTree. Having previously served as the leader of our Finance department, as well as driving our efficiency and internal strategy initiatives, I know our team is well positioned to continue improving our balance sheet and harvesting operating leverage by operating with focus and discipline. During the quarter we were able to repurchase $161 million of our 2025 convertible notes for $152 million, capturing a $9 million discount. The combination of cash on the balance sheet, future free cash flow and the remaining $50M of debt available from our Apollo financing will allow us to comfortably retire these notes by maturity next year.”

Second Quarter 2024 Business Results

Home segment revenue of $32.2 million decreased 23% over second quarter 2023 and produced segment profit of $9.3 million, down 30% over the same period.Within Home, revenue from Home Equity of $22.0 million decreased 13% over prior year.Consumer segment revenue of $55.9 million declined 32% over second quarter 2023.Within Consumer, personal loans revenue of $26.9 million declined 4% over prior year.Revenue from our small business offering decreased 12% over prior year.Insurance segment revenue of $122.1 million increased 109% over second quarter 2023 and translated into segment profit of $36.4 million, up 47% over the same period.

LendingTree Summary Financial Metrics

(In millions, except per share amounts)

Three Months Ended
June 30,

Y/Y

Three Months Ended
March 31,

Q/Q

2024

2023

% Change

2024

% Change

Total revenue

$ 210.1

$ 182.5

15 %

$ 167.8

25 %

Income before income taxes

$ 9.4

$ 0.1

— %

$ 1.6

— %

Income tax expense

$ (1.6)

$ (0.2)

— %

$ (0.6)

— %

Net income (loss)

$ 7.8

$ (0.1)

— %

$ 1.0

— %

Net income (loss) % of revenue

4 %

— %

1 %

Income (loss) per share

Basic

$ 0.58

$ (0.01)

$ 0.08

Diluted

$ 0.58

$ (0.01)

$ 0.08

Variable marketing margin

Total revenue

$ 210.1

$ 182.5

15 %

$ 167.8

25 %

Variable marketing expense (1) (2)

$ (139.2)

$ (106.0)

31 %

$ (98.4)

41 %

Variable marketing margin (2)

$ 70.9

$ 76.5

(7) %

$ 69.4

2 %

Variable marketing margin % of revenue (2)

34 %

42 %

41 %

Adjusted EBITDA (2)

$ 23.5

$ 26.7

(12) %

$ 21.6

9 %

Adjusted EBITDA % of revenue (2)

11 %

15 %

13 %

Adjusted net income (2)

$ 7.2

$ 14.7

(51) %

$ 9.2

(22) %

Adjusted net income per share (2)

$ 0.54

$ 1.14

(53) %

$ 0.70

(23) %

(1)

Represents the portion of selling and marketing expense attributable to variable costs paid for advertising, direct marketing and related expenses. Excludes overhead, fixed costs and personnel-related expenses.

(2)

Variable marketing expense, variable marketing margin, variable marketing margin % of revenue, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA % of revenue, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share are non-GAAP measures. Please see “LendingTree’s Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to GAAP” and “LendingTree’s Principles of Financial Reporting” below for more information.

LendingTree Segment Results

(In millions)

Three Months Ended
June 30,

Y/Y

Three Months Ended
March 31,

Q/Q

2024

2023

% Change

2024

% Change

Home (1)

Revenue

$ 32.2

$ 41.6

(23) %

$ 30.4

6 %

Segment profit

$ 9.3

$ 13.3

(30) %

$ 9.6

(3) %

Segment profit % of revenue

29 %

32 %

Consumer (2)

Revenue

$ 55.9

$ 82.5

(32) %

$ 51.5

9 %

Segment profit

$ 26.9

$ 40.7

(34) %

$ 27.4

(2) %

Segment profit % of revenue

48 %

49 %

53 %

Insurance (3)

Revenue

$ 122.1

$ 58.4

109 %

$ 85.9

42 %

Segment profit

$ 36.4

$ 24.8

47 %

$ 33.4

9 %

Segment profit % of revenue

30 %

42 %

39 %

Other (4)

Revenue

$ —

— %

$ —

— %

(Loss)

$ (0.1)

$ (0.3)

67 %

$ —

— %

Total revenue

$ 210.1

$ 182.5

15 %

$ 167.8

25 %

Total segment profit

$ 72.5

$ 78.5

(8) %

$ 70.5

3 %

Brand marketing expense (5)

$ (1.6)

$ (2.0)

(20) %

$ (1.1)

45 %

Variable marketing margin

$ 70.9

$ 76.5

(7) %

$ 69.4

2 %

Variable marketing margin % of revenue

34 %

42 %

41 %

(1)

The Home segment includes the following products: purchase mortgage, refinance mortgage, and home equity loans.

(2)

The Consumer segment includes the following products: credit cards, personal loans, small business loans, student loans, auto loans, deposit accounts and debt settlement. We ceased offering credit repair with the closing of Ovation at the end of Q2 2023.

(3)

The Insurance segment consists of insurance quote products and sales of insurance policies.

(4)

The Other category primarily includes marketing revenue and related expenses not allocated to a specific segment.

(5)

Brand marketing expense represents the portion of selling and marketing expense attributable to variable costs paid for advertising, direct marketing and related expenses that are not assignable to the segments’ products. This measure excludes overhead, fixed costs and personnel-related expenses.

Financial Outlook*

Today we are updating our outlook for full-year 2024 and introducing our outlook for the third quarter.

Full-year 2024:

Revenue of $830 – $870 million compared to the prior range of $690 – $720 millionVariable Marketing Margin of $280 – $300 millionAdjusted EBITDA of $85 – $95 million

Third-quarter 2024:

Revenue: $230 – $260 millionVariable Marketing Margin: $73 – $80 millionAdjusted EBITDA: $23 – $27 million

*LendingTree is not able to provide a reconciliation of projected variable marketing margin or adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable expected GAAP results due to the unknown effect, timing and potential significance of the effects of legal matters and tax considerations. Expenses associated with legal matters and tax considerations have in the past, and may in the future, significantly affect GAAP results in a particular period.

Quarterly Conference Call

A conference call to discuss LendingTree’s second quarter 2024 financial results will be webcast live today, July 25, 2024 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). The live audiocast is open to the public and will be available on LendingTree’s investor relations website at investors.lendingtree.com. Following completion of the call, a recorded replay of the webcast will be available on the website.

LENDINGTREE’S RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO GAAP

Variable Marketing Expense

Below is a reconciliation of selling and marketing expense, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to variable marketing expense. See “LendingTree’s Principles of Financial Reporting” for further discussion of the Company’s use of this non-GAAP measure.

Three Months Ended

June 30,
2024

March 31,
2024

June 30,
2023

(in thousands)

Selling and marketing expense

$ 148,387

$ 108,176

$ 116,065

Non-variable selling and marketing expense (1)

(9,140)

(9,855)

(10,107)

Variable marketing expense

$ 139,247

$ 98,321

$ 105,958

(1)

Represents the portion of selling and marketing expense not attributable to variable costs paid for advertising, direct marketing and related expenses. Includes overhead, fixed costs and personnel-related expenses.

LENDINGTREE’S RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO GAAP

Variable Marketing Margin

Below is a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable table GAAP measure, to variable marketing margin and net income (loss) % of revenue to variable marketing margin % of revenue. See “LendingTree’s Principles of Financial Reporting” for further discussion of the Company’s use of these non-GAAP measures.

Three Months Ended

June 30,
2024

March 31,
2024

June 30,
2023

(in thousands, except percentages)

Net income (loss)

$ 7,752

$ 1,016

$ (115)

Net income (loss) % of revenue

4 %

1 %

— %

Adjustments to reconcile to variable marketing margin:

Cost of revenue

8,411

8,545

9,302

Non-variable selling and marketing expense (1)

9,140

9,855

10,107

General and administrative expense

27,118

25,796

29,160

Product development

10,374

11,857

10,601

Depreciation

4,601

4,667

4,684

Amortization of intangibles

1,467

1,489

1,982

Restructuring and severance

202

3,558

Litigation settlements and contingencies

(7)

488

Interest expense (income), net

1,201

6,638

6,940

Other income

(1,052)

(1,034)

(439)

Income tax expense

1,686

559

227

Variable marketing margin

$ 70,893

$ 69,447

$ 76,495

Variable marketing margin % of revenue

34 %

41 %

42 %

(1)

LENDINGTREE’S RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO GAAP

Adjusted EBITDA

Below is a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable table GAAP measure, to adjusted EBITDA and net income (loss) % of revenue to adjusted EBITDA % of revenue. See “LendingTree’s Principles of Financial Reporting” for further discussion of the Company’s use of these non-GAAP measures.

Three Months Ended

June 30,
2024

March 31,
2024

June 30,
2023

(in thousands, except percentages)

Net income (loss)

$ 7,752

$ 1,016

$ (115)

Net income (loss) % of revenue

4 %

1 %

— %

Adjustments to reconcile to adjusted EBITDA:

Amortization of intangibles

1,467

1,489

1,982

Depreciation

4,601

4,667

4,684

Restructuring and severance

202

3,558

Loss on impairments and disposal of assets

413

368

140

Loss on impairment of investments

—

1,440

Non-cash compensation

7,437

7,789

9,204

Acquisition expense

—

Litigation settlements and contingencies

(7)

488

Interest expense (income), net

1,201

6,638

6,940

Dividend income

(1,225)

(1,034)

(1,879)

Income tax expense

1,686

559

227

Adjusted EBITDA

$ 23,527

$ 21,551

$ 26,673

Adjusted EBITDA % of revenue

11 %

13 %

15 %

LENDINGTREE’S RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES TO GAAP

Adjusted Net Income

Below is a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable table GAAP measure, to adjusted net income and net income (loss) per diluted share to adjusted net income per share. See “LendingTree’s Principles of Financial Reporting” for further discussion of the Company’s use of these non-GAAP measures.

Three Months Ended

June 30,
2024

March 31,
2024

June 30,
2023

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

Net income (loss)

$ 7,752

$ 1,016

$ (115)

Adjustments to reconcile to adjusted net income:

Restructuring and severance

202

3,558

Loss on impairments and disposal of assets

413

368

140

Loss on impairment of investments

—

1,440

Non-cash compensation

7,437

7,789

9,204

Acquisition expense

—

Litigation settlements and contingencies

(7)

488

Gain on extinguishment of debt

(8,619)

—

Adjusted net income

$ 7,178

$ 9,232

$ 14,719

Net income (loss) per diluted share

$ 0.58

$ 0.08

$ (0.01)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to adjusted net income

(0.04)

0.62

1.15

Adjustments to reconcile effect of dilutive securities

—

Adjusted net income per share

$ 0.54

$ 0.70

$ 1.14

Adjusted weighted average diluted shares outstanding

13,407

13,276

12,928

Effect of dilutive securities

—

Weighted average diluted shares outstanding

13,407

13,276

12,915

Effect of dilutive securities

150

176

—

Weighted average basic shares outstanding

13,257

13,100

12,915

LENDINGTREE’S PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL REPORTING

LendingTree reports the following non-GAAP measures as supplemental to GAAP:

Variable marketing expenseVariable marketing marginVariable marketing margin % of revenueEarnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization, as adjusted for certain items discussed below (“Adjusted EBITDA”)Adjusted EBITDA % of revenueAdjusted net incomeAdjusted net income per share

Variable marketing expense, variable marketing margin and variable marketing margin % of revenue are related measures of the effectiveness of the Company’s marketing efforts. Variable marketing margin is a measure of the efficiency of the Company’s operating model, measuring revenue after subtracting variable marketing expense. Variable marketing expense represents the portion of selling and marketing expense attributable to variable costs paid for advertising, direct marketing, and related expenses, and excludes overhead, fixed costs, and personnel related expenses. The Company’s operating model is highly sensitive to the amount and efficiency of variable marketing expenditures, and the Company’s proprietary systems are able to make rapidly changing decisions concerning the deployment of variable marketing expenditures (primarily but not exclusively online and mobile advertising placement) based on proprietary and sophisticated analytics.

Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA % of revenue are primary metrics by which LendingTree evaluates the operating performance of its businesses, on which its marketing expenditures and internal budgets are based and, in the case of adjusted EBITDA, by which management and many employees are compensated in most years.

Adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share supplement GAAP net income and GAAP net income per diluted share by enabling investors to make period to period comparisons of those components of the most directly comparable GAAP measures that management believes better reflect the underlying financial performance of the Company’s business operations during particular financial reporting periods. Adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share exclude certain amounts, such as non-cash compensation, non-cash asset impairment charges, gain/loss on disposal of assets, gain/loss on investments, restructuring and severance, litigation settlements and contingencies, acquisition and disposition income or expenses including with respect to changes in fair value of contingent consideration, gain/loss on extinguishment of debt, contributions to the LendingTree Foundation, one-time items which are recognized and recorded under GAAP in particular periods but which might be viewed as not necessarily coinciding with the underlying business operations for the periods in which they are so recognized and recorded, the effects to income taxes of the aforementioned adjustments, any excess tax benefit or expense associated with stock-based compensation recorded in net income in conjunction with FASB pronouncement ASU 2016-09, and income tax (benefit) expense from a full valuation allowance. LendingTree believes that adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share are useful financial indicators that provide a different view of the financial performance of the Company than adjusted EBITDA (the primary metric by which LendingTree evaluates the operating performance of its businesses) and the GAAP measures of net income and GAAP net income per diluted share.

These non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results. LendingTree provides and encourages investors to examine the reconciling adjustments between the GAAP and non-GAAP measures set forth above.

Definition of LendingTree’s Non-GAAP Measures

Variable marketing margin is defined as revenue less variable marketing expense. Variable marketing expense is defined as the expense attributable to variable costs paid for advertising, direct marketing and related expenses, and excluding overhead, fixed costs and personnel-related expenses. The majority of these variable advertising costs are expressly intended to drive traffic to our websites and these variable advertising costs are included in selling and marketing expense on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and consolidated income.

EBITDA is defined as net income from continuing operations excluding interest, income taxes, amortization of intangibles and depreciation.

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA excluding (1) non-cash compensation expense, (2) non-cash impairment charges, (3) gain/loss on disposal of assets, (4) gain/loss on investments, (5) restructuring and severance expenses, (6) litigation settlements and contingencies, (7) acquisitions and dispositions income or expense (including with respect to changes in fair value of contingent consideration), (8) contributions to the LendingTree Foundation (9) dividend income, and (10) one-time items.

Adjusted net income is defined as net income (loss) excluding (1) non-cash compensation expense, (2) non-cash impairment charges, (3) gain/loss on disposal of assets, (4) gain/loss on investments, (5) restructuring and severance expenses, (6) litigation settlements and contingencies, (7) acquisitions and dispositions income or expense (including with respect to changes in fair value of contingent consideration), (8) gain/loss on extinguishment of debt, (9) contributions to the LendingTree Foundation, (10) one-time items, (11) the effects to income taxes of the aforementioned adjustments, (12) any excess tax benefit or expense associated with stock-based compensation recorded in net income in conjunction with FASB pronouncement ASU 2016-09, and (13) income tax (benefit) expense from a full valuation allowance.

Adjusted net income per share is defined as adjusted net income divided by the adjusted weighted average diluted shares outstanding. For periods which the Company reports GAAP loss from continuing operations, the effects of potentially dilutive securities are excluded from the calculation of net loss per diluted share from continuing operations because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. In periods where the Company reports GAAP loss from continuing operations but reports positive non-GAAP adjusted net income, the effects of potentially dilutive securities are included in the denominator for calculating adjusted net income per share if their inclusion would be dilutive.

LendingTree endeavors to compensate for the limitations of these non-GAAP measures by also providing the comparable GAAP measures with equal or greater prominence and descriptions of the reconciling items, including quantifying such items, to derive the non-GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

One-Time Items

Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income are adjusted for one-time items, if applicable. Items are considered one-time in nature if they are non-recurring, infrequent or unusual, and have not occurred in the past two years or are not expected to recur in the next two years, in accordance with SEC rules. For the periods presented in this report, there are no adjustments for one-time items.

Non-Cash Expenses That Are Excluded From LendingTree’s Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income

Non-cash compensation expense consists principally of expense associated with the grants of restricted stock, restricted stock units and stock options. These expenses are not paid in cash and LendingTree includes the related shares in its calculations of fully diluted shares outstanding. Upon settlement of restricted stock units, exercise of certain stock options or vesting of restricted stock awards, the awards may be settled on a net basis, with LendingTree remitting the required tax withholding amounts from its current funds. Cash expenditures for employer payroll taxes on non-cash compensation are included within adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income.

Amortization of intangibles are non-cash expenses relating primarily to acquisitions. At the time of an acquisition, the intangible assets of the acquired company, such as purchase agreements, technology and customer relationships, are valued and amortized over their estimated lives. Amortization of intangibles are only excluded from adjusted EBITDA.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The matters contained in the discussion above may be considered to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations or anticipations of LendingTree and members of our management team. Factors currently known to management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the following: adverse conditions in the primary and secondary mortgage markets and in the economy, particularly interest rates and inflation; default rates on loans, particularly unsecured loans; demand by investors for unsecured personal loans; the effect of such demand on interest rates for personal loans and consumer demand for personal loans; seasonality of results; potential liabilities to secondary market purchasers; changes in the Company’s relationships with network partners, including dependence on certain key network partners; breaches of network security or the misappropriation or misuse of personal consumer information; failure to provide competitive service; failure to maintain brand recognition; ability to attract and retain consumers in a cost-effective manner; the effects of potential acquisitions of other businesses, including the ability to integrate them successfully with LendingTree’s existing operations; accounting rules related to excess tax benefits or expenses on stock-based compensation that could materially affect earnings in future periods; ability to develop new products and services and enhance existing ones; competition; effects of changing laws, rules or regulations on our business model; allegations of failure to comply with existing or changing laws, rules or regulations, or to obtain and maintain required licenses; failure of network partners or other affiliated parties to comply with regulatory requirements; failure to maintain the integrity of systems and infrastructure; liabilities as a result of privacy regulations; failure to adequately protect intellectual property rights or allegations of infringement of intellectual property rights; and changes in management. These and additional factors to be considered are set forth under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2023, in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2024, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. LendingTree undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results or expectations.

About LendingTree, Inc.

LendingTree, Inc. is the parent of LendingTree, LLC and several companies owned by LendingTree, LLC (collectively, “LendingTree” or the “Company”).

LendingTree is one of the nation’s largest, most experienced online financial platforms, created to give consumers the power to win financially. LendingTree provides customers with access to the best offers on loans, credit cards, insurance and more through its network of approximately 400 financial partners. Since its founding, LendingTree has helped millions of customers obtain financing, save money, and improve their financial and credit health in their personal journeys. With a portfolio of innovative products and tools and personalized financial recommendations, LendingTree helps customers achieve everyday financial wins.

LendingTree, Inc. is headquartered in Charlotte, NC. For more information, please visit www.lendingtree.com.

Investor Relations Contact:
investors@lendingtree.com

Media Contact:
press@lendingtree.com

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SOURCE LendingTree, Inc.

Technology

Huawei Wen Tong: 6G Needs to Embrace AI for Shaping Future Network

Published

3 hours ago

September 29, 2024

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — At the 6G Conference held in Istanbul, on September 24, 2024, Dr. Wen Tong, Huawei Wireless CTO, delivered a keynote speech on 6G standardization and innovation. With the release of the ITU-R 6G vision framework, the 3GPP will start 6G standardization in 2025. “6G is a new generation of mobile technology, not a simple upgrade of 5G, it should bring new value to users,” said Dr. Tong, “6G is a true intergenerational technological disruption. 6G standard, key technologies, and network architecture should be re-defined based on application scenarios and requirements from 2030 to 2040. 6G should not be another way to implement 5G. Instead, 6G should embrace the AI revolution with a quantum leap and generate new values for the consumers. In this way, 3GPP standards can truly realize the 6G vision and create greater value for the entire industry.”

Centered “6G Standardization Direction” and “6G Innovation Driving Force”, Dr. Tong shared important views on the future architecture, terminal development, and key technologies of 6G.

In terms of architecture design, 6G should go beyond Service-Based Architecture and move towards Application-Driven Network.

5G has already achieved market success and continues to evolve towards 5G-Advanced. 6G will not simply reuse 5G network architecture, without generational and fundamental innovations, which will limit the mobile industry’s aspiration and imagination to dive the innovation in the 6G era. 6G must have obvious cross-generational characteristics and technical breakpoint.

On the core side, reusing the 5G core network will hinder the innovation in AI. We should use Agentic-AI based technology to re-architect 6G Core that goes beyond 5G Service-Based Architecture and support the foundational capabilities of AI, Sensing and NTN , and thus evolve towards the Application Driven Network .

In terms of terminal evolution, 6G user device calls for a breakthrough to lead the success of the entire industry chain.

It is the law of the mobile industry to drive the evolution of the market with the pioneering technology. The 6G networks and 6G terminals must meet the requirements of consumers and vertical industries in the 6G market phase from 2030 to 2040.

Currently, smartphones are evolving to AI terminals to usher in the mobile AI era. In post-MBB era, breakthroughs in terminal technologies will be the key to the evolution of the mobile industry. Therefore, 6G user device calls for a breakthrough towards “Full-AI”, thus to drive 6G network upgrade and the success of the entire industry ecosystem.

In terms of technology development, AI will become a key enabler for 6G with network paradigm shifting.

Twenty years ago, the Internet was the enabler of the technology innovations. Mobile communications embraced the Internet and achieved great business success. Today, AI maybe the disruptive enabler of the latest technology innovations.

6G should embrace the AI revolution with a quantum leap. However, 6G networks should not be limited to generative AI, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Embodiment-AI are the main directions of future AI development. Therefore, AGI should run through the whole process of sensing, reasoning, decision, and action of terminals, wireless networks, and core networks of 6G, to welcome the arrival of a new network paradigm.

At the end, Dr. Tong Wen emphasized the relationship between 5G and 6G: “The global 5G deployment is on the rise and evolving to 5G-Advanced, which not only meets the current requirements of operators, but also protects their investment. Therefore, 6G technologies should not overlap with 5G in technologies and market space. The specifications, technologies, and architecture of 6G must be based on the scenarios and requirements from 2030 to 2040. We should focus on true generational technology disruption, embrace the new opportunities brought by AI, expand the mobile industry in the next generation.”

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Technology

Global Times: China’s GDI, GSI, and GCI foster global cooperation, address urgent challenges

Published

4 hours ago

September 29, 2024

BEIJING, Sept. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In an era marked by unprecedented global transformations, the world stands at a critical crossroads, grappling with deepening deficits in peace, development, security, and governance. As humanity faces unparalleled challenges during this tumultuous period, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has put forth a solemn call to action through the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI).

The three pivotal initiatives address the pressing issues of our time, offering viable pathways and robust support for the building of a global community of shared future. Rooted in the rich historical experiences of the CPC’s century-long struggle and infused with the wisdom of China’s traditional culture, these initiatives are expected to unite the world in the pursuit of common progress and stability.

To offer a deep understanding of the GDI, the GSI, and the GCI, and elaborate on their significance on a global scale, the Global Times is launching series of articles featuring engaging stories and in-depth interviews to provide our readers with a comprehensive insight into the three initiatives.

From ‘Convention of Peking’ to ‘Beijing Declaration’

In April 2022, President Xi proposed the GSI to promote universal security while delivering a keynote speech via video link at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022. The initiative is a global public good offered by China, as well as a vivid illustration of the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind in the security field.

On July 23, 2024, 14 Palestinian factions gathered in Beijing and signed the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity after participating in reconciliation talks mediated by China, a lively demonstration of the GSI’s function in practice, which many international observers hailed China for having “made something impossible possible,” and regarded it as a milestone in the Middle East reconciliation process.

“Palestinian unity is key to the realization of Palestinian statehood and China is committed to facilitating it,” read an article on news outlet Al Jazeera.

“The Palestinian question is at the core of the Middle East issue. Over the past years, China has put forward proposals and taken action to address the Palestinian question with Chinese wisdom and solutions,” stated the article.

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular media briefing on July 24, that “China firmly supports the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, and supports the people of Middle East countries in holding their future in their own hands. China will continue to advance the GSI and make more contribution to peace and stability in the Middle East.”

On the day that the “Beijing Declaration” was signed, many Chinese people hailed the important step in peace in the Middle East and shared the sentiment “Because we have been caught in the rain, we want to hold an umbrella for others” on social media platforms.

They recalled the history that 164 years ago, the Qing government was forced to sign the humiliating “Convention of Peking” in 1860, which included ceding territories and paying indemnities. That dark era saw China reduced to a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, when bullying by foreign powers and frequent wars tore the country apart and plunged the Chinese people into an abyss of great suffering. After a strenuous fight, the CPC has closely united and led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to work hard for a century to put an end to China’s national humiliation, guiding the country to progress and prosperity.

The past suffering is not merely a reminder of a dark history; it has also made the Chinese people more sympathetic to the suffering of others and has deepened their understanding of the value of peace.

Turkish Ambassador to China İsmail Hakkı Musa hailed the significance of the GSI in an exclusive interview with the Global Times. “The GSI has its own rations. It focuses on sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and [the] peaceful settlement of the disputes. You may have noticed that too many people – too many analysts – defended the idea that, for example, the role assumed by China between the approach of Saudi Arabia and Iran was a kind of application or practice of this initiative,” Musa said.

“We all know that this approach is a good thing. Lesser tension in that region is an important contribution to the world peace,” he stressed.

In practice, China is not only playing an unselfish, active role in the brokering of peace in the Middle East while some other countries ignore human lives for selfish interests, but has also become an important force in maintaining world peace.

Since the restoration of its legitimate seat in the United Nations, China has faithfully fulfilled its international legal obligations as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Currently, China is the second-largest contributor to the UN’s regular budget, the second-largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, and the largest troop-contributing nation among the permanent members of the Security Council. China actively participates in negotiations and the formulation of rules on global security issues in various fields, including international arms control and preventing nuclear proliferation.

It also collaborates with various parties in non-traditional security areas such as counter-terrorism, biosecurity, and food security. In the face of ongoing hotspot issues, China is committed to playing the role of a responsible major power.

Right to development

In the heart of Africa, where the sun shines brightly and the needs of the people are as vast as the savannah, a new story of development is unfolding. It’s a tale of “small but beautiful” projects born from China–Africa cooperation, ranging from crop cultivation and maize growth and combating the region’s hunger issue, to clean energy projects that provide affordable new energy, and to the Luban Workshop, which offers training to many in Africa.

The implementation of these “small and beautiful” projects echoes the GDI’s call for sustainable and people-centric growth.

Three years ago, Xi proposed the GDI at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, calling for the building of a consensus in pursuing development, promoting shared growth, and helping accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

China achieved the goal of eradicating absolute poverty 10 years ahead of the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, making significant contributions to global poverty alleviation efforts. Internationally, China is fully committed to development, actively sharing its development opportunities and experiences with other countries, especially with those in the Global South.

Since the initiative was proposed, the content has been consistently substantialized, with its implementation mechanisms becoming more refined over time. This has led to the gradual establishment of practical cooperation within its framework, providing China’s approach to addressing the development gap in Global South countries.

At the just concluded 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the China-Africa Joint Statement on Deepening Cooperation within the Framework of the Global Development Initiative was released.

“Since the launch of the GDI, China and Africa have joined forces and mutually supported each other in exploring paths toward modernization, further implementing the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035, advancing the nine programs to a high standard, as well as completing 175 ‘small and beautiful’ livelihood cooperation projects,” read the statement.

More than 30 African members of the FOCAC have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI and the Global Development Promotion Center Network to put in place an efficient working mechanism and platform for alignment in development policies, coordination of development resources, and facilitation of joint actions.

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development in Pakistan, told the Global Times that he believes that the GDI, which advocates that development “holds the master key” to solving problems and ensuring sustainable peace, is what the world is desperately seeking now. He noted that apart from Africa, other Global South countries are benefiting from the GDI and China’s development dividends.

“Without sharing the dividends of development, we cannot preach ethics, and the dream of peace will remain a dream. Without cooperation, concrete programs, and the allocation of financial resources, we cannot achieve these goals. China is cognizant of this reality and has launched numerous programs and provided financial support such as $4 billion to the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund,” he said.

Musa noted to the Global Times that “China initiated the concept of the ‘right to development.’ The GDI also offers action-based policies and result-based projects.”

According to China’s Foreign Ministry, over the last three years, the GDI has made remarkable achievements. Over 100 countries and some international organizations have given support to or taken part in the initiative. More than 80 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. China has set up a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, which has financed over 150 programs. The Global Development Promotion Center Network is bringing more members on board.

“The GDI was put forward by China, but its opportunities and benefits are shared by the world. On the path toward development and prosperity, no country or individual should be left behind. This is the vision of the GDI, as well as the goal advocated by the UN,” Mao Ning said at a regular media briefing on September 20, 2024.

Respect for diverse civilizations

In March 2023, Xi proposed the GCI for the first time at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, advocating for the respect of the diversity of world civilizations, the promotion of common values for all humanity, the emphasis on the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and the strengthening of international cultural exchange and cooperation.

The initiative is another major public product offered to the world by China after the GDI and the GSI. It sends a sincere call to the world to deepen the dialogue of civilization exchanges and promote the progress of human civilization through inclusiveness and mutual learning, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to promote a higher level of international cooperation, experts said.

Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office, told the Global Times that the GCI aligns with UNESCO’s mission to foster respect for cultures worldwide, particularly those that possess outstanding universal value.

China now boasts 59 World Heritage sites, including the Beijing Central Axis, a “remarkable example” of urban heritage that showcases advancements from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) to the present day, Khan said.

In recent years, China has enhanced communication and coordination with UNESCO, working with all parties to promote the implementation of the United Nations’ Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations, strengthening dialogue and exchange among civilizations, and increasing the sharing of values, concepts, and experiences behind the policies of various countries, jointly exploring solutions to global challenges and issues.

Ramay noted that the GCI, together with GDI and GSI, “negates the idea of superiority and present the vision of equality and equity built on respect for diversity and cultures. The vision categorically highlighted the need for a fair and just system where everyone (country or human) can pursue the dream of development and peace.”

“These initiatives promote the idea of resolving conflicts or disputes through dialogue and development to strengthen peaceful and cooperative co-existence. Thus, the world welcomed the initiative, especially the Global South,” he said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202409/1320506.shtml

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-times-chinas-gdi-gsi-and-gci-foster-global-cooperation-address-urgent-challenges-302261752.html

SOURCE Global Times

Technology

The pioneered intelligent airborne detection technology by State Grid Zaozhuang Power Supply Company

Published

5 hours ago

September 29, 2024

ZAOZHUANG, China, Sept. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The traditional manual detection is likely to be made towards the phase A in the lower layer; while the intelligent airborne detection is actually made towards the phase A in the upper layer. This represents the comparison result for the discharge hidden danger of the No. 23 tower insulator of the 10 kV cement plant line in the 110 kV Tendong Substation outgoing line by different detection methods, yet the accurate judgment brought by the innovative application of unmanned aerial vehicle airborne ultrasonic partial discharge detection technology.

By the end of August 12, the application of the self-developed UAV airborne ultrasonic partial discharge detection technology by State Grid Zaozhuang Power Supply Company has reached a year, during which, a total of 450 unmanned aerial vehicles were detected, 63 hidden hazards of partial discharge were identified, leading to a reduction of 37 equipment failures, the reduction of the power distribution network fault outage rate by 68%, and improving the power supply reliability rate to 99.982%.

According to Zhang Jianhua, Director of the Operation and Maintenance Department of Zaozhuang Power Supply Company, this technology is initiated in China, rewriting the tradition and passivity of power distribution network partial discharge fault investigation by hearing voice manually over a long time, and leaping into the era of intelligent imaging diagnosis. As the capillaries of the large power grid connecting thousands of households, the current average height of the distribution network tower is 15 to 18 meters, and both the insulators and cable heads on the top of these towers are important detection parts, the improvement in traditional manual detection methods is badly needed. To this end, they, by boldly integrating UAV with local imaging inspection technology, used the advantages of UAV multi-angle close-range inspection to carry out partial discharge inspection, innovated and broadened the technical dimension of aerial patrol, took the lead in enabling accurate collection of voiceprint local release data, and completed demonstration of putting the technology into practical application.

Innovation is not as simple as one plus one, the technology research took a year. Since June 2022, by means of hardware structure transformation and multi-algorithm fusion optimization, they have successively overcome a range of problems such as the inability of traditionally partial discharge inspection to lock the discharge part, the partial discharge detection of UAV propeller noise interference, and the geographical conditions of inspection, and enabled the high-quality and efficient partial discharge imaging detection of the power distribution network. In July 2023, the technology was put into trial use, and later in December of the same year, it was inspected and accepted by the State Grid Shandong Electric Power Company.

During the trial use, the Zao Zhuang Power Supply Company, by giving full play to its advantages as being directly managed and operated by State Grid Corporation of China, coordinated 162 power distribution network lines, and allocated 35 UAVs for the seven power supply centers affiliated to it in a unified manner, and trained 26 drone pilots. Beyond that, it repeatedly carried out technical verification and optimization in the trial use, reducing the time to inspect the base tower 1 from 25 minutes to 15 minutes, indicating an efficiency improvement by 1.8 times compared to the traditional manual inspection, making the accuracy reach 100%.

Instead of revolving around the tower, staring at the equipment for a long time, and being anxious but unable to do anything, Li Yanlin, the specialist staff from Operation and Maintenance Department of Zaozhuang Power Supply Company expressed the pleasure that thanks to the intelligent airborne detection technology, the partial discharge failures found in the power distribution network could be eliminated as soon as they are identified, leading to the great transformation of the operation and maintenance of distribution network from “eliminating present problems” to “preventing them before they are present”, and the formation of a sound situation of intelligent operation and maintenance.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/the-pioneered-intelligent-airborne-detection-technology-by-state-grid-zaozhuang-power-supply-company-302261739.html

SOURCE State Grid Zaozhuang Power Supply Company