China's Huawei Technologies has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Telecommunication Union to jointly promote technology development in developing countries.
The MOU was signed by Sami Al-Basheer, director of the Bureau of Development of Telecommunication of ITU, and Fan Hui, vice president of Huawei, at the Connect Africa Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Under the MOU, Huawei and ITU will work together to improve connectivity in rural and remote areas in emerging markets, as well as to close gaps in broadband backbone networks. Both parties will also cooperate to improve interconnection between regions, and develop local telecoms expertise by offering training programs focusing on the maintenance of established networks. These initiatives will be implemented based on an analysis of existing and planned infrastructure.
As a first step, the two parties will use Huawei's existing training centers in India and Nigeria to provide telecommunications training for local talent. Huawei operates 22 training centers across the world, with 12 strategically located in developing countries including India, Nigeria and Egypt.
In welcoming the signing of the MOU, Al-Basheer said, "We are greatly impressed by Huawei's contributions to developing countries in Africa and other parts of the world to help close their digital divide and enhance their connectivity to the developed world. The signing of the MOU demonstrates the commitment of both parties to work together to further promote communication development in developing countries."
"We are confident that through ITU's established global network and Huawei's deep experience in successfully delivering world-class telecommunication solutions in global markets we will be highly instrumental in advancing ICT capabilities in developing countries. This is one of the central tenets of Huawei's mission – enriching lives through communications," said Mr. Fan Hui.
In line with this, Huawei also donated telecommunication equipment worth US$130,000 to the Rwandan government, to provide quality broadband services in support of the Connect Africa Summit.
