APD | HUAWEI brings competition to market

By APD writer Melo M. Acuña

SHENZHEN, June 28 (APD) – Taking out Huawei from the market due to the American government’s decision will bring back problems faced by customers in need of reasonably-priced technology.

This was how Joe Kelly, Huawei’s Vice President for International Media Affairs looks at the controversies brought about by the latest pronouncements from top American government officials.

In an interview with Manila-based newsmen, Kelly said his company spent some US$14.8 billion in Research and Development as he confidently said they would spend from US$15-20 billion in the next years.

“We into four core technologies where we invest heavily and these are 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), ChipSets and the Internet of Things,” Kelly said. He explained Huawei bought some US$70 billion in technology from the United States of America, South Korea, China, and Korea last year.

“We bought some US$ 11 billion from the United States,” he added. Kelly said their strategy is not to rely on a particular country or supplier and with what the United States is into, they are left with no other alternative but develop their own technology and tap alternative suppliers.

A former journalist covering Silicon Valley, Kelly said taking out Huawei from the list of credible infrastructure providers, telecom service companies would have very limited choices and may bring back the days when vendors would determine the pace of innovation as competition drives innovation and keeps prices down to the minimum.

He explained Huawei brings competition to the market as some companies had to pay 30% more for the technology as there is no competition.

“There this recent report from Europe that said should Huawei would not be allowed to sell 5G, it would add to the cost by some US$65 billion and set back Vodafone and BT programs by 24 months,” Kelly said citing independent observers and industry experts.

He explained with international standards, vendors could spend more on Research and Development and bring production prices down as he emphasized 5G “for the first time had one standard and made technology more accessible to the people worldwide.”

Referring to recent pronouncements made high-ranking American government officials about Huawei, Kelly said “They are without merit, unfounded and unwarranted. Huawei has made its presence felt in 168 countries where their respective governments have not raised anything on cybersecurity issues as pointed out by American President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo who visited Manila last March 1.

He said while sales of Huawei mobile phones outside of China have gone down last year, sales in China which are about 50% of their total generated sales, have gone up. Huawei sales outside of China is slowly recovering.

“It is easy to make slur statements but they have not provided any evidence as they keep changing their narratives,” he added. He said most if not all of Huawei’s detractors have not worked with them over the past several years and would not know the core values and program thrusts of the China-based telecom infrastructure provider.

(Top image: Huawei Vice President for International Media Affairs Joe Kelly said their company brings competition to the market. /Photo by Melo M. Acuna)

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)