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African countries not buying US’ politically charged claims against Huawei in 5G
By Chen Qingqing in Barcelona Source:Global Times Published: 2019/2/26
Attendees visit the Huawei exhibition hall at MWC19 on Monday in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT
In spite of the US global offensive against Huawei, industry representatives from African countries said they do not have security concerns over the Chinese company's products, and blocking participation by Huawei in 5G development will add costs and hinder deployment of next generation wireless technology.
On Monday, the first day of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the annual telecoms industry gathering in Barcelona, Spain, Huawei's main exhibition hall was crowded with attendees - not just from European countries but also developing nations such as Malawi, Zambia and Angola.
Danny Luswili, board chairman of Zamtel, also known as Zambia Telecommunications Co, spent his time learning more about the newest 5G customer premises equipment (CPE) unveiled by Huawei at the event.
While the US has been lobbying against Huawei by citing security concerns, the African representatives believe it is not an issue for their countries.
"We don't have any concerns about the products that they offer to us," the Zambian businessman said.
Telecom carriers are not willing to invest heavily in remote areas, as the costs of building networks are usually high with low investment returns. But this is not the case for Huawei, which has been exploring developing markets for years by offering low-cost solutions.
For instance, in a rural area in Kenya, Huawei launched a solution in 2017 that combines innovations in both technology and tower design, and this helped 500 people get connected for the first time.
The total operating costs of the project are also more than 50 percent lower than traditional sites.
"We see they're already advanced in the ICT industry … and they're bringing a lot of things to Zambia," he said, noting that the Chinese company has been playing a significant role in building 4G networks in the local market and providing cloud services to the government.
Zamtel has been working with Huawei for about four years. Luswili told the Global Times that "there's no doubt" the Chinese company will lead in 5G.
Still, emerging markets are paying attention to the US-led crackdown on Huawei.
When Malawi authorities hear a superpower like the US is worried about Huawei, they wonder what "the Americans are seeing that we can't see," Minister of Information and Communications Technology of Malawi Henry Mussa told the Global Times. "We'd like to believe that there's nothing to worry about," he said.
Locking out Huawei, the world's largest telecoms equipment provider, from 5G deployments will also deprive emerging markets from developing the next generation of wireless technologies.
Having fewer players in the market will drive up costs, which will become unaffordable for those markets, industry representatives said.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1140263.shtml
By Chen Qingqing in Barcelona Source:Global Times Published: 2019/2/26
Attendees visit the Huawei exhibition hall at MWC19 on Monday in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT
In spite of the US global offensive against Huawei, industry representatives from African countries said they do not have security concerns over the Chinese company's products, and blocking participation by Huawei in 5G development will add costs and hinder deployment of next generation wireless technology.
On Monday, the first day of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the annual telecoms industry gathering in Barcelona, Spain, Huawei's main exhibition hall was crowded with attendees - not just from European countries but also developing nations such as Malawi, Zambia and Angola.
Danny Luswili, board chairman of Zamtel, also known as Zambia Telecommunications Co, spent his time learning more about the newest 5G customer premises equipment (CPE) unveiled by Huawei at the event.
While the US has been lobbying against Huawei by citing security concerns, the African representatives believe it is not an issue for their countries.
"We don't have any concerns about the products that they offer to us," the Zambian businessman said.
Telecom carriers are not willing to invest heavily in remote areas, as the costs of building networks are usually high with low investment returns. But this is not the case for Huawei, which has been exploring developing markets for years by offering low-cost solutions.
For instance, in a rural area in Kenya, Huawei launched a solution in 2017 that combines innovations in both technology and tower design, and this helped 500 people get connected for the first time.
The total operating costs of the project are also more than 50 percent lower than traditional sites.
"We see they're already advanced in the ICT industry … and they're bringing a lot of things to Zambia," he said, noting that the Chinese company has been playing a significant role in building 4G networks in the local market and providing cloud services to the government.
Zamtel has been working with Huawei for about four years. Luswili told the Global Times that "there's no doubt" the Chinese company will lead in 5G.
Still, emerging markets are paying attention to the US-led crackdown on Huawei.
When Malawi authorities hear a superpower like the US is worried about Huawei, they wonder what "the Americans are seeing that we can't see," Minister of Information and Communications Technology of Malawi Henry Mussa told the Global Times. "We'd like to believe that there's nothing to worry about," he said.
Locking out Huawei, the world's largest telecoms equipment provider, from 5G deployments will also deprive emerging markets from developing the next generation of wireless technologies.
Having fewer players in the market will drive up costs, which will become unaffordable for those markets, industry representatives said.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1140263.shtml
