Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Why Huawei? That was the question I asked myself on way to join the celebration of the company's 15th anniversary of operations in the Middle East. Looking to the future of the region's connected digital economy, senior executives for across the technology industry joined Huawei — a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider which of late is making waves in the mobile phones market — at a gala event in Dubai recently. Speakers included Eng. Nasser Sulaiman Al-Nasser, senior vice president of Technologies & Operations at STC; Hatem Bamatraf, chief technology officer at Etisalat Group; and Guo Ping, deputy chairman of the Board and Rotating CEO of Huawei. While Al-Nasser spoke of the perfect bonding between Huawei and STC over the management of Haj — "the most challenging event in Saudi Arabia," Bamatraf highlighted commonalities between Etisalat and the Chinese telecom company — "dedication, commitment to deliver, innovation and passion." The forum was opened by Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East, who touched upon some of the key transformations taking place in the ICT industry over the last 15 years. The evening gala's entertainment was further ignited by a performance from Huawei brand ambassador Nancy Ajram singing a number of her greatest hits. Guests also got a chance to engage with a number of Huawei innovation demos of upcoming ICT application, including 4K video, drones & robotics, wearable devices, and 4.5G and 5G mobile connectivity. OK, it was a Huawei event and one would expect their staff to be nice – the event, however, was still low-key keeping in line with how Chinese companies prefer to do business. Its cost position and presence in the emerging markets are the pillars to its success. The explosion in mobile data traffic has opened fresh venues for telecom equipment dealers. Huawei gets a big boost in its solid R&D investment. Going green early has also helped it builds credibility. "Fifteen years ago Huawei's corporate structure looked considerably different than it does today. Nevertheless, our values have largely remained the same. We exist to serve our customers and local communities," Yang said. Today the company's Middle East headquarters is located in Bahrain with offices across 10 countries and around 5,000 employees. The company has around 1,300 employees in the Kingdom. Its worldwide employees number 170,000. Not to be outdone in social service, Huawei also offers a program for the youth — "Seeds for the Future." The gathering was also introduced to the most recent crop of students who had just returned from the two-week work experience scheme in China. Among the students were: Saudi Ahmed Al-Salmi and Rafique Sultan from Pakistan. The confident-looking Al-Salmi had no qualms in calling himself the "next big thing" on Saudi ICT scene. Leaving the dinner table following an insightful discussion with one of the company's representatives, another official, sitting at the other end of the table, comes up and with steely resolve says: "Because Huawei is the best." The company's approach can best be summed up by these lines from Robert Frost's poem "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening": I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep.
