Chinese company reflects on cooperation with local counterparts and its latest project with Telecom Egypt CAIRO: After joining forces with Telecom Egypt (TE) to provide DWDM technology for the local market, it was time for Huawei Technologies to announce its achievements on the domestic and regional level in the past couple of years and reflect on its future plans. DWDM technology, which enables multiple video, audio and data channels to be transmitted over one fiber and increases the efficiency and bandwidth of networks by supporting different formats, isn't the first offering of the Chinese company. Specialized in providing next generation telecommunication network solutions, for operators around the world, Huawei has several local and regional projects to brag about. On the domestic level, Huawei has cooperated with TE in launching the "biggest national intelligent Network in Middle East and North Africa (MENA), access network, optical network SDH rings, CDMA WLL system, according to a company statement. The CDMA project includes the supply and installation of TE's wireless fixed network. "This contract is contributing to the remarkable increase in Egypt's fixed lines penetration rate, says Thomas Zhu, managing director of Egypt Huawei Technologies. According to the company statement, this consequently increases the quality of the voice services that TE is offering to its customers. Huawei has also cooperated with the Egyptian Telephone company to locally manufacture the switching and access network equipment to for TE local use and for export. In a cooperation with mobile network operator Mobinil, the company will deploy 3 million subscribers soft switch project, which would eventually increase mobile phone penetrate rate and the quality of voice and service. The company also works with National Telecom Cards Company for the provision of the Next Generation Network and Intelligent network. It has also signed a contract with Egy-Net ADSL to provide 25k lines. "We believe in the booming market here, says Zhu. "We are doing our best towards more contribution in this market. With seven years of operations locally and regionally, the company has also worked in strengthening the qualified manpower for its local operations and for satisfying the needs of the growing information technology industry. On the education level, the company has ventured on several projects. In 2005, it inaugurated its Technology Assistance Center and Training Center in the capital. Investments in the center, sans the equipment, have reached $ 3 million. In collaborating with the National Telecommunication Institute, the training lab has graduated 428 certified trainers. Some have joined the Chinese company. Huawei is also in the process of singing an agreement with Future Generation foundation for the training of 300 fresh graduates over the course of three years. During a press conference held this week, Zhu repeatedly expressed the company's faith in the fast growing market of the MENA region and consequently its interest in this market. Taking Egypt as the regional hub for its regional operations, Huawei has over 1,500 employees and 22 representative offices in28 countries in MENA. The company expects to double its regional 2005 revenues by 2007 to reach $ 2 billion. According to Moheb Ramsis, technical director of mobile networks in Huawei MENA, the company's international and Chinese contract sales in 2005 reached $8.2 billion. While the bulk of its operations is in China, Ramsis says that 58 percent of its work is on the international level. The company's products are deployed in over 100 countries, serving 28 of the world's top 50 operators, including Vodafone, Telefonica and British Telecom. Of course, potential cooperation with local newcomer and regional main player Etisalat was questioned. Noting Huawei's old relations with Etisalat in other countries, Zhu confirmed that the latter hasn't formally chosen the network solutions provider that would be at the core of its infrastructure operations in Egypt; an Etisalat-led consortium has recently won a bid for the third mobile license. Zhu refuted claims that Etisalat had already signed a contract with the company other than Huawei, but didn't disclose information about their potential collaboration.
