Leading the technology challenge in Africa

A familiar name to those using MTN’s 3G data service and behind the scenes with its technology in some of the other networks, Hauwei is leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solution provider and probably one of the better known Chinese brand names in South Africa.

With a massive footprint covering over 50 countries in Africa, Huawei first entered the South African ICT market in 1998 and is a level 3 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BB-BEE) company. It contributes to the South African community as part of its Corporate Social Investment, particularly in education, enterprise development, and overall job creation with local staff comprising over 60 percent of its total staff headcount. Huawei further contributes to SA business through procurement of a range of services from over 400 local suppliers.

CEO of Huawei Technologies Africa, Peng Song says that the traditional telecommunication industry now stands at the crossroads and is redefining itself where its focus is shifting from voice to data, from communications pipe to content development, from human-to-human to machine-to-machine communication, and from communication technology to Information Communication Technology.

“To capitalize on these trends and meet the challenges of this new era, Huawei developed cloud computing to provide a fully-integrated end-to-end ICT solution that focuses on cloud computing, network and device,” says Peng, adding that the company has a “comprehensive device product portfolio that caters for the needs of different markets in South Africa and across the globe, “with product lines spanning network infrastructure, communication and collaboration as well as cloud-based IT, thus placing Huawei in a unique position to best serve vertical industry demands.”

“Our offerings include customised white box products with operator brand names to co-branding opportunities. Huawei provides innovative, cost-effective phones to enable more people to enjoy the convenience of smart phones at affordable prices,” he continues.

 A notable milestone happened in Kenya, where the Huawei IDEOS handset which was launched late in 2010 became the country’s best selling smart phone.

Huawei’s key strategic initiatives in Africa include customer centricity, green innovation, and being a socially responsible corporate citizen, contributing to sustainable development in a variety of areas including environment, health, education, and overall community upliftment. Along with four regional head offices and 18 representative offices covering over 50 countries in Africa, the company has established six training centres which provide training to more than 10 000 Africans every year including staff, customers, partners, and students.

With a growing demand for energy efficient solutions across the globe, Huawei has committed itself through its creed ‘Green Huawei, Green Communications, Green World” – environmental protection is at the core of its mandate across all product development processes and business activities. “We are dedicated to energy efficiency improvement and carbon emissions reduction through innovative solutions. Over 6 000 of our green energy sites have been deployed in 23 Sub-Saharan African countries, enabling our customers to contribute to their responsibility for environmental protection and save costs,” says Peng.

“We are committed to sharing our expertise and innovative ideas from our experience in the global telecoms industry with operators, enterprises and customers across Africa, and will continue to work hand in hand with our strategic partners to bridge the digital divide and enrich the lives of all people through communication,” he concludes.