The Gulf News published an interview with Shunli Wang, vice president of Huawei's Middle East department, saying that Huawei has made great progress in 5G networks and cloud services in the Middle East, and that the aviation industry and "green" are the future opportunities they see.
5G networks and cloud services are the two pillars of Huawei's business development in the UAE and Middle East markets. The third pillar, of course, is smartphones and other terminals, as Huawei's vision of an always-on consumer world continues to grow more users.
But for businesses, including operators, the Chinese tech giant has been looking for major victories. A prime example is the 5G-related contracts with Emirates Telecom e& du, which should keep Huawei busy planning and execution in the short term.
Equally important is the winning bid for the Dubai South City project, which is the builder of a multi-145 square kilometre "area" development (sited in 2020). Wang Shunli gave an update on how the company might develop for the remainder of 2022.
"Huawei actually has extensive experience in the global aviation sector and has supported some of the most prestigious airport projects in the UAE and the GCC." He said.
Q: Do you think telcos in the Gulf have awarded major 5G-related contracts? Or think 2022 will be a bumper year for big 5G tenders?
A: From the perspective of faster revenue growth and the ability to create new revenue streams through industry-specific 5G applications, we've seen significant returns for telecom operators that invested in 5G early on. This is indeed the next chapter of 5G – industries such as oil and gas, manufacturing, and healthcare are working with local operators to deploy more scenario-specific 5G applications.
Huawei has explored the application of 5G customized solutions in more than 20 industries around the world.
Working with industry partners such as 3GPP and GSMA, we are contributing to the development of the "5GtoB ecosystem". For example, by further developing 5G standards and harmonizing spectrum, the UAE industry will find it easier and faster to embrace 5G applications.
In 2021, Huawei worked with more than 500 new industry solution partners to jointly release more than 700 solutions, including more than 100 scenario-based 5GtoB solutions. These solutions are deployed in more than 10,000 5GtoB projects in the enterprise market.
We believe it's also important to continuously increase network capacity with lower energy consumption per bit with integrated solutions that integrate green sites, green networks, and green operations. As a result, we expect investment in 5G infrastructure and applications to continue to grow in 2022.
Q: What is your timeline for the completion of these projects? Does the 5G project represent the largest component of your business in your region?
A: This is a pretty big business opportunity for us. Globally, in 2021, our carrier network business accounts for approximately 44% of our total business.
Whether it's 5G or any other technology, we always start by thinking about how to create value for our customers and improve their business performance. Supporting operators in building, maintaining, scaling, and enhancing their 5G infrastructure is one way to do this.
At the same time, we have been looking at how to drive the digital economy boom, including building a minimalist, green and smart ICT infrastructure to help all industries become digital. Usually, it is directly with the enterprise or a joint project with the operator and the local enterprise.
In many cases, our contributions to these projects are not limited to 5G network technologies, but also leverage our strengths in other areas such as the cloud, smart devices, digital energy, and more.
Q: Huawei has achieved a major victory in Dubai South City, and the company is also looking at the possibility of "intelligent transportation". What is the scope of this?
A: In the Dubai South City project, Huawei will build a new generation of network infrastructure that meets the needs of the aviation industry.
This is an exciting new partnership with an eye towards achieving more connected and sustainable services in Dubai South City. We have already begun to look at how we can support Dubai South To build a connected aviation community capable of supporting complex services that are compatible with future mobility and mobility.
Huawei actually has extensive experience in the global aviation sector and has already supported some of the most prominent airport projects in the UAE and the GCC. In addition to network enhancements, a major theme we are exploring is the establishment of an integrated operations center to leverage ICTs to promote more seamless and centralized control of air traffic, safety and other operations.
Q: Last year, Huawei firmly entered the cloud computing and data center business in the UAE. Will this also be launched in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf markets?
A: Throughout the (Middle East) region, we are deeply engaged in digital as a service, whether it is expertise in providing infrastructure, technology or cloud-based models. We call it "everything as a service".
Today, HUAWEI CLOUD can accelerate the digital transformation of all organizations in the region. Our products help businesses minimize the carbon footprint of their IT infrastructure, accelerate the development of new applications and business processes, and enable them to innovate faster in the digital economy.
To build this cloud infrastructure, we see four fundamental elements – technology, economic alliances, talent ecosystems, and digital sovereignty. We're working with governments and local partners to strengthen these foundations through programs like the Spark Program, which supports startups to build their cloud computing capabilities.
Regarding the HUAWEI CLOUD Zone, we already have an Availability Zone located in the UAE. Earlier this year, we announced that we would establish a new zone in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of all of our investments is to enable more businesses and governments in the Middle East to use our cloud services.
In the Middle East, HUAWEI CLOUD currently offers more than 220 services, 19 data centers, more than 200 local partners, and a growing list of more than 80 market products.
Q: Are you planning to add new business areas to your regional coverage this year?
A: One emerging area that we believe has great potential in the region is digital energy. Carbon neutrality has become a hallmark of the national development agenda of many Middle Eastern countries. Our innovations in ICT will play a central role in addressing climate change and helping countries meet carbon reduction targets.
Last year, we launched Huawei's digital energy business. The team is now converging digital and power electronics to develop clean energy and help the traditional energy sector build a greener future. We focus on five key areas, including smart photovoltaics, data center energy, smart electric, site energy and integrated smart energy solutions.
Whether in digital energy, 5G networks, cloud services or any other field, we are ready and willing to work with partners along the entire value chain. (C114 Jiang Junmu)