Xiaomi makes big bet on 5G, IoT and partners to advance wireless file transfer

Starting the new year off with a bang, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has announced a five-year investment programme worth more than $7bn in artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G technologies while striking a technology partnership with fellow device makers OPPO and Vivo.

Xiaomi enjoyed a strong end to 2019 and was one of the leading device makers driving unprecedented shipment numbers in the third quarter of 2019.

The 50 billion yuan investment programme was announced by CEO Lei Jun, who said: “We need to turn our continuous advantage we have in AI and IoT [internet of things] into absolute victory in intelligent full scene, and completely cement our king status in the smart era.”

No further details of specific plans for the programme have been revealed to date.

With OPPO and Vivo, Xiaomi said it is bringing the device makers’ Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance global, bringing a “seamless” one-click wireless file transfer experience to more users in global markets. The transfer feature has been available on MIUI 11 devices and users of Xiaomi smartphones can experience the feature with the Mi Share function.

The new wireless file transfer system will allow users of these three brands to transfer files between their mobile devices without the need for any third-party applications or network data. This system also supports a range of files, including photos, videos, music and documents.

The wireless file transfer system does not require internet connection and uses Bluetooth for pairing and Wi-Fi P2P technology for the data transfer. This is said to bring an instant, stable and high-speed connection between devices, as well as low power consumption.

This technology delivers an average transfer speed of 20MB/s. The Wi-Fi P2P technology does not interrupt the Wi-Fi connection, meaning users remain connected and can continue their activities on the device during the file transfer.

“This expansion of the Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance to global users all the more underlines Xiaomi’s long-standing commitment of bringing innovation to everyone,” said Xiaomi senior vice-president Chew Shou Zi.

“By joining hands with Vivo and OPPO, two industry leaders that have a strong user base, we are expecting to benefit smartphone users globally. Xiaomi will continue to bring more strategic partnerships of this sort to our users and Mi Fans.”

The Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance added that the three brands will continue to openly collaborate to deliver new technological breakthroughs. It also said that it would welcome more brands to join.