Huawei eyes similar growth as last year from UAE operations

Thursday, Feb 04, 2016

Dubai: Huawei expects this year’s growth in the UAE to be same as last year at more than 30 per cent despite weak consumer sentiment and low oil prices, a top official told Gulf News.

“We are facing a starting point of a new era. ICT [information and communication technology] will be more important than ever in our daily life and businesses. We see a great potential in the UAE,” David Wang, CEO of Huawei Technologies UAE, told Gulf News after signing a deal with Dubai Internet City to set up a new national headquarters.

The Chinese ICT solutions provider expects the national headquarters to drive UAE’s digitisation agenda and build upon Dubai’s knowledge economy, as well as support the emirate’s vision to become an innovation-led economy and a Smart City. “With the new headquarters, we will put our efforts in three areas — cloud, pipe [bandwidth] and devices,” Wang said.

He said that intelligence is embedded into everything, including business processes. ICT such as mobility, cloud, Big Data and Internet of Things form the foundation of intelligenitisation, a kind of deep revolution to rebuild a scientific and harmonious relationship among urban economy, society and nature.

ICT has become a “core national competency”. Developed countries are pushing ICT advancements further, such as Singapore’s Smart Nation plan and Germany’s Industry 4.0. A 20 per cent growth in ICT investment will increase a country’s GDP by one per cent.

He said that Dubai has attracted the world’s attention through many ambitious and innovative infrastructure projects. Huawei is delighted to have contributed to the development of the country’s ICT industry during this time.

Moreover, the Chinese player, in partnership with the Dubai Investment Development Agency (Dubai FDI), recently announced plans to open its “Huawei Innovation Centre” hoping not only play a major role in Dubai’s Smart City programmes but also in developing human capital as well as innovative technology solutions for a wider regional and global community and enterprise population.

“We will elaborate Huawei’s global R&D [research and development] resources to serve country’s vision. There isn’t any existing technologies that can accommodate country’s vision 100 per cent. The real solutions are still in the labs,” Wang said.

The company has invested $6.6 billion (Dh24.2 billion) on R&D in 2014 compared to $5.1 billion in 2013.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource City, told Gulf News after the signing ceremony that the innovation strategy set by the UAE is bearing its fruits now as more companies are putting more of their innovation capabilities on the ground right now.

“We are in transition to a knowledge-led economy. The strategy will attract more companies to set up bases in the emirate and innovate and there is room for everyone,” he said.

When asked whether there is room for more projects, he said that DIC has space for more companies as four more projects are expected to be developed.

By Naushad K Cherrayil Staff Reporter