[Shenzhen, China, November 23, 2022] Huawei has signed a global commitment to join the International Telecommunication Union’s Partner2Connect digital alliance, which will bring connectivity to approximately 120 million people in remote areas of more than 80 countries by 2025.
Liang Hua, President of Huawei, announced the decision during the company’s 2022 Sustainability Forum, Connectivity+: Innovate for Impact. The forum explored how ICT innovation could unlock the business and social value of connectivity and drive sustainability in the age of the digital economy.
Speakers at the event included senior leaders from ITU and the United Nations, telecommunications ministers and regulators in Cambodia, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as business leaders, partners, experts and customers from China, South Africa, Belgium and Germany.
“Clearly, connectivity alone is not enough. It needs to be affordable, content needs to be relevant and in the local language, and users need to have the skills to make the best use of it,” said Malcolm Johnson, Vice -General Secretary of the ITU. “Thank you to Huawei for supporting the Partner2Connect (P2C) digital coalition and for its announced P2C commitments in the key areas of rural connectivity and digital skills.”
Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, called for “multi-stakeholder partnerships” of policymakers, the private sector, academia and civil society to bridge the “sad reality” of a digital divide that excludes a third party of the world’s population.
“Our dynamic world urgently needs enhanced digital cooperation to harness the transformative potential of technology to create new jobs, boost financial inclusion, close the gender gap, spur a green recovery and redesign our world to be more prosperous and inclusive,” he said. “Now is the time to act”.
In his keynote address, Dr. Liang stressed that access to a stable network was a basic requirement and a right in the digital age. For many who are still unconnected, access to reliable connectivity would mark the first step towards transforming their lives.
“Connectivity will be more than just a convenient communication tool,” he said. “With digital technologies such as the cloud and AI, connectivity will help bring everyone into the digital world and give them access to more information and skills, better services and more business opportunities. broad. development.”
Cao Ming, President of Huawei Wireless Solution, said, “As the company with the most comprehensive ICT capabilities, Huawei integrates the comprehensive technological innovation potential of equipment, site, power, transmission and antennas to solve the difficulties encountered by the deployment of traditional sites. , such as high costs, restricted transportation, lack of electricity and maintenance issues. We have continuously upgraded the RuralStar and RuralLink solutions to extend quality coverage to remote areas, enabling more people, community hospitals, schools, local governments, and small and medium businesses to enjoy the same experiences. high-speed broadband connectivity than those in cities”.
RuralStar series solutions have provided connections to over 60 million people in remote areas of over 70 countries.
The construction of broadband optical networks offers another important path towards achieving universal service. Huawei came up with an innovative AirPON solution for areas with low population density, including remote areas. This solution continuously reduces equipment room footprint, fiber optic installation costs and network power consumption, while ensuring the rapid deployment of local communication networks.
In Africa alone, Huawei has laid more than 250,000 kilometers of fiber optics, providing 30 million homes with broadband access. The user experience has steadily improved. The average home broadband speed is already over 30Mbps, providing a smarter, faster and smoother home network experience.
As ICT infrastructure continues to evolve, innovative technologies like cloud and AI are enabling people in rural and remote areas to enjoy the convenience of a digital world. Huawei Cloud offered the Everything-as-a-Service strategy and made Huawei’s more than 30 years of technical expertise and digital transformation experience available through cloud services. This means that accessing the capabilities of Huawei’s digital cloud infrastructure is now as simple, affordable and sustainable as water and electricity.
Digital transformation, digital talents and new business models are all essential for balanced development in remote areas. Huawei previously announced that by 2025, with improved ICT infrastructure, the company will work with partners to enable 500 million people to benefit from digital financial services and 500,000 people to benefit from education. inclusive.
In Cambodia, ITU’s first P2C partner country, Huawei will work with government departments through the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and universities to provide 10,000 training opportunities for ICT professionals over the next five years.
Huawei is committed to inclusive development. Through its continuous technological innovation, Huawei contributes to a higher level of digitalization in remote areas, enabling everyone to enjoy the convenience of digital life and promoting the balanced development of the global digital economy.
