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Tag: Huawei

  • Huawei boss expresses worry over scarcity of AI talents

    Huawei boss expresses worry over scarcity of AI talents

    Global technology provider, Huawei has said the global scarcity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) talents continues to pose significant challenges to the development of digital economies around the world.

    Terrence Wu, the Managing Director, Huawei Nigeria Enterprise Business Group, made this known on Thursday at the Art of Technology conference 6.0 held in Lagos.

    Wu said that AI talents are still in short supply and unevenly distributed around the world.

    He added that this scarcity was coming at a time when the demand for AI computing power was expected to exceed the demand for general computing power.

    He explained that the scarcity of AI talents was a global challenge, requiring concerted efforts to address.

    Speaking about Huawei, Wu said that the company had been operating in Nigeria for over 25 years and had invested heavily in the country’s digital infrastructure.

    He added that the company had launched a local cloud service in Nigeria, providing entrepreneurs, companies, and individuals with access to AI computing power and other digital technologies.

    He said that Huawei could offer more than 240 cloud services and solutions for customers to get started more easily.

    Wu said: “The company has built five development timelines from hardware development to software development, from data governance to AI model development, and digital content production.

    “The combination of 5G and AI will drive digital economy development, and 5G and the cloud are the main engines driving the second growth curve of digital transformation.”

    He said that Huawei’s AI plus data solution helped customers reshape their closed ICT system into open cloud platforms, allowing data to evolve to large data and fast, enabling financial business innovation and inclusive finance.

    The Huawei boss cited examples of how it had used AI to improve weather forecasting, mining, education, and finance.

    He explained that Huawei’s AI weather model could predict global typhoon paths with high accuracy, using a single server and just 10 seconds of computing time.

    He added that Huawei was working with UNISA to build an AI-embedded smart campus network, which includes a Wi-Fi network that could automatically detect and fix faults.

    Wu said that the company would launch its local cloud in Nigeria in December, adding that Huawei had decided to build a local cloud to comply with regulations.

    He said that the local cloud would also enable it serve entrepreneurs, companies, enterprises, individuals, and startups better and safer.

  • Huawei: Scientific and technological innovation leads Africa’s digital future

    On October 22, Beijing time, Huawei’s native HarmonyOS NEXT became the focus of attention in the global technology community. As the world’s leading technology company, Huawei has promoted the progress of global information technology, especially in the digital transformation of Africa, with its innovative research and development capabilities and advanced technology platforms.

    By signing strategic cooperation with Africa, Huawei has obtained new technical support for developers in African countries, which has greatly promoted the intelligence of Africa’s industry. According to statistics, in 2024, more than 2 million developers have participated in the Hongmeng platform worldwide, of which African developers accounted for 15%.

    Since entering the African market, Huawei has been committed to improving the local digital ecological environment. Especially in the fields of education and medical care, Huawei’s technology is bringing real changes to African people. With the help of the multi-terminal collaboration capability of the Hongmeng platform, telemedicine can be carried out more efficiently. Patients in remote areas can obtain real-time medical services through intelligent devices, reducing the problem of uneven allocation of medical resources. In addition, in the education popularisation plan strongly advocated by African countries, the intelligent education system supported by the Hongmeng platform has made distance education more popular and provided a broader way for local students to access knowledge.

    Huawei’s success in Africa comes not only from its technological leadership, but also from the strong support of China’s national policies. Over the years, China has continuously deepened the Belt and Road Initiative, closely combined scientific and technological innovation with international cooperation, and actively promoted the digital economy construction of African countries. According to the data of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in 2024, China’s investment in science and technology in Africa has increased significantly, and the annual financial support for scientific and technological cooperation-related projects has reached $3 billion, an increase of 20% over 2023. This series of scientific and technological cooperation projects aims to improve the competitiveness of African countries in the digital economy through technology transfer, joint research and development and talent exchange. Through the technology output of the Hongmeng platform, Huawei has not only accelerated the digital transformation of Africa, but also provided rich learning resources and innovation support for African developers. In 2024, the number of local applications developed on the Hongmeng platform increased by 35% year-on-year, and many of them successfully achieved commercial operation, driving the local economic development.

    The technical cooperation between China and Africa not only enables China’s scientific and technological innovation achievements to quickly land in Africa, but also promotes the cultivation of African scientific and technological talents and the rise of scientific and technological industries. By promoting the construction of the digital economy, African countries can not only improve production efficiency in all fields of society, but also create more employment opportunities and improve people’s living standards. Huawei’s cooperation with Africa is a model of win-win between science and technology and society. In the future, Huawei will continue to work hand in hand with African people to jointly promote the construction of Africa’s digital future and contribute more Chinese strength to global scientific and technological cooperation.

  • Apple’s third largest market divided over iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max launch

    Apple’s third largest market divided over iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max launch

    Apple’s iPhone 15 drew mixed reactions in its third-largest market of China on Wednesday, with many online users liking its faster chip and improved gaming capabilities.

    Others, meanwhile, preferred Huawei’s new smartphone.

    China remains key for the U.S. tech giant, which unveiled its new iPhone lineup on Tuesday.

    The company occupies a leading position in China’s premium smartphone market, in part due to the decimation of Huawei Technologies’ smartphone business by U.S. export controls.

    However, Apple has also come under scrutiny in the run-up to the iPhone 15’s launch.

    Shares in Apple and its suppliers were battered last week after reports that Chinese government agencies and state firms were banning staff from using the phone just as Huawei launched a new smartphone.

    The new smartphone, which comes with an advanced chip, is seen as an effort by the Chinese firm for a comeback.

    The unveiling of Apple’s iPhone 15 attracted intense discussion online on Wednesday, as new models have done in the past.

    The new phone goes on sale online in China on Alibaba’s Tmall marketplace on Sept. 15, and in-stores on Sept. 22.

    Topics discussing the new launch attracted 380 million views on social media platform Weibo, with more than 800,000 discussions, including posts, comments, and likes, on the iPhone 15.

    Many cheered the iPhone 15 Pro’s new 3 nanometer chip and Apple’s pitch that console-quality games such as “Resident Evil 4 Remake”, can be played on the device, appealing to China’s army of mobile gamers.

    Nonetheless, several social media users had misgivings about choosing an American brand over a domestically made rival phone.

    This is especially after state media applauded the roll-out of Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro earlier this month as a triumph by China over U.S. sanctions.

    A survey by Chinese news portal Sina on the social media platform asking participants if they would buy the Mate 60 or iPhone 15 saw 61,000 votes for the Huawei device versus 24,000 for the iPhone 15.

    Comparisions of how the Mate 60 Pro could make calls and send texts via satellite, while the iPhone 15 was only capable of satellite texts, also generated significant discussion.

    “The iPhone 15 can only send SOS messages via satellite, using last-generation technology already deployed in Huawei’s Mate 60, which supports full satellite calling,” one user wrote.

    China’s smartphone market, like the sector globally, is in the midst of a slump and analysts cautioned that this, and the country’s slowing economy, could also weigh on sales of the iPhone 15.

    Apple’s third-party retailers in February launched rare discounts on the iPhone 14 Pro by as much as 10 per cent that helped sales but could undermine demand for the latest series, analysts said.

    “This is not a good signal for the upcoming 15 series as some demands have been fulfilled before the launch,” said Archie Zhang, a research analyst at Counterpoint.

    “Before Huawei’s surprise launch, we projected Apple’s sales in China Q3 and Q4 to be flat or slightly weaker than last yea,” the researcher added.

    Will Wong, an analyst with industry research group IDC, saw recent public sector developments and Huawei posing a challenge for Apple.

    “Sales (of the iPhone 15) are not going to be easy, especially since Chinese consumers are either being cautious in spending or shifted their focus to leisure or travel,” he added.

    IDC expects Apple’s share in China’s premium phone market will gradually decline due to increased competition from Huawei.

    For the first half of 2023, Apple held 67 per cent of market share for phones priced over $600, followed by Huawei with 15.6 per cent.

  • Telecommunications workers threaten 3-day warning strike at firm

    Telecommunications workers threaten 3-day warning strike at firm

    The Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN) has issued a three-day warning strike notice to Huawei Technologies Company Limited over alleged anti-labour practices.

    Huawei is a global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices.

    PTECSSAN’s General Secretary, Mr Okonu Abdullahi, in a letter addressed to the company, said that the union had directed the withdrawal of services of its members from projects of the company, effective between 12.00 a.m. May 2 and 11.59 p.m. May 4, 2023.

    In the letter on Sunday in Lagos, Abdullahi said that failure of the company to comply with the union’s demands after the warning strike would result in an indefinite strike.

    He said that the strike might cause telecommunications network disruptions as no worker would be available to attend to them.

    ‘’We were constrained to embark on this industrial action when it became apparent to us that your company is not labour friendly and is not interested in peaceful and amicable resolutions of the concerns of our members.

    ‘’For the avoidance of doubt, we shall not be backing down on the warning strike except the following are agreed with the union.

    ‘’Immediate recognition of the fundamental right of the employees to freely associate with the union; immediate recognition of the union as negotiating body for the employees on workers welfare.

    ‘’Immediate remittance of membership dues into the union’s account as earlier provided; immediate payment of March salaries of some members of the union, among others.

    “As we look forward to your company’s granting of our demands, please be assured of our union’s resolve to ensure better working conditions for her members, ‘’ he said.

    Other demands include immediate regularisation of the employment of union members on the Huawei projects and the involvement of the union in the process.

    Also, the immediate commencement of appropriate pensions deduction and remittance of same as required by the Pension Act.

    ‘’Immediate approval of the National Health Insurance Scheme that covers the employees, their spouses and four of their dependents.

    ‘’Immediate enrollment of Union members in the Group Life Insurance as stipulated in the Pension Reform Act 2004, Section 9(3).

    ‘’Immediate commencement of negotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (Conditions of Service) for the benefit of union members, ‘’ the letter read in part.

    Meanwhile, several calls were made and text messages sent to the company to get its reaction, but there was no reply.

  • Huawei names computer lab after NCC boss

    Huawei names computer lab after NCC boss

    A computer lab, constructed by Huawei Technologies and commissioned at the weekend to serve the community of Koguna Town of Makoda Local Government of Kano State, has been named “Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta Computer Lab”.

    Director, Public Relations of Huawei Nigeria, Lola Fafore, said at the commissioning, which was witnessed by the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, and the District Head of Makoda, Alhaji Labaran Abdullahi, that the project was among the company’s contribution to Nigeria as part of its corporate social responsibility. Fafore assured that Huawei will continue to promote digital inclusion, primarily through the provision of access to technology.

    “Huawei has been operating in Nigeria for over 22 years now and we can say that Nigeria is a great country filled with many great talents and potential. We love the Nigerian people and are happy to always give back through Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives such as this,”

    “Huawei is therefore constantly making more effort in terms of connectivity, applications, and skills transfer to promote digital inclusion for all. This is in line with Huawei’s mission to bring digital services to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected intelligent world. As part of our contribution to this great nation, we believe in making technology accessible to all. Technology should not be for the few, but for everyone,” she said.

    In appreciation of naming the centre after him and donating to the community, Danbatta commended Huawei Nigeria Limited. He also thanked the company for the central role it has played in the development of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.

    “This computer laboratory was built through a huge donation by Huawei. And Huawei is a household name in Nigeria. They provide and manage services for major telecommunications companies in Nigeria. They are dominant in that sector. I can’t imagine the state of telecoms in Nigeria without the invaluable role that Huawei is playing in the country,” Danbatta said.

    Traditional ruler of Makoda who doubles as Barayan Bichi, poured encomiums on the donors and the NCC boss, whose philanthropic disposition attracted the gesture to the community.

    He said Danabatta has been making invaluable contributions to the development of our communities, the state, and the nation at large. The community leader stated that Danbatta has implemented many philanthropic and people-oriented projects in his Danbatta community in addition to his strides in driving the development of ICT adoption and usage, through numerous initiatives as the country’s Chief Telecoms Regulator.

    Those who attended the commissioning ceremony include, the Vice Chairman of Makoda Local Government, Alhaji Yusif Bala, the Director of Human Capital and Administration of NCC, Barrister Usman Malah, the Chief of Staff to the EVC, Malam Hafiz Shehu, and the Controller, NCC Zonal Office in Kano, Malam Shuaibu Swade among others.

  • Huawei develops technology to tackle oil theft in Nigeria

    Huawei develops technology to tackle oil theft in Nigeria

    Chinese technology company, Huawei Technologies on Tuesday said it had developed an intelligent pipeline monitoring system to help tackle crude oil theft in Nigeria.

    Mr Li Wei, Director of Huawei Nigeria Enterprise Business, made this known at a news briefing on the sidelines of the ongoing Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES) on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Wei said: “Huawei-developed fibre vibration intrusion warning system uses Artificial Intelligence to identify intrusion scenarios accurately.

    “With high identification precision, accurate positioning, and quick response, it will help to ensure pipeline safety and reduce theft and vandalism.’’

    According to him, Huawei will continue to support the digital transformation of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry by developing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions.

    “Faced with the ongoing volatility of international oil prices, Huawei believes that the digital transformation of Nigeria’s upstream sector is a top priority.

    “In response to the strategy proposed by the Nigerian government and oil companies, Huawei promotes the digital oilfield Internet of Things and Exploration and Production storage solutions.

    “This will help oil and gas companies to achieve real-time visualised production, improve production efficiency, reduce production costs, and optimise production resource allocation to improve oilfield production.’’

    Wei said in addition to providing high-quality ICT solutions and services, Huawei actively support the Nigerian government in building a talent ecosystem.

    He said the company had signed an ICT academy agreement with more than 110 universities and schools and had trained more than 1,000 civil servants and 40,000 young students in Nigeria.

    “We hope to build a strong talent base camp to promote Nigeria’s digital economy development,’’ Wei added.

  • ABU students win global Huawei Cloud, AI track competition

    ABU students win global Huawei Cloud, AI track competition

    Three students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, have won the global grand prize in cloud and artificial intelligence of the Huawei ICT Competition 2019-2020.

    Prof. Kabir Bala, the Vice Chancellor of the university, disclosed this during the 2019/2020 Huawei Nigeria ICT Competition Award and inauguration of the 2021/2022 Launch Ceremony in Zaria on Wednesday.

    Bala said the 2019/2020 Huawei competition had a participation record of almost 150,000 students from over 2,000 colleges and universities in more than 82 countries.

    “Six ABU students participated and three of them: Hamza Atabor, Emmanuel Abba and Hamza Beira, earned first prize in Network Track Globally.

    “Mustapha Jimoh, Dahir Muhammad-Dahir and Abdullahi Khalifa Muhammad earned grand prize in cloud and artificial intelligence at the global final,’’ he said.

    He noted that the relationship between ABU and the Huawei Technologies started in August 2018.

    The vice chancellor added that Huawei approached the university for a partnership on the Huawei authorised Information Network Academy (HAINA) and other CSR initiatives.

    “We are pleased with the outcomes recorded so far; under the ABU-HAINA programme over 1,000 enrollment and 450 different certification tracks have been recorded,’’ he said.

    Ms Melissa Chen, the Director, Service Delivery, Huawei Technologies Nigeria, said over 22,000 Nigerian students registered in the Huawei ICT Competition for 2019/2020.

    Chen, represented by Mr Star Shi, Assistant Director, Service Delivery, said 1,000 of these students competed in the national final in December 2019.

    Chen added that 15 students from ABU Zaria, University of Ibadan and University of Port Harcourt represented Nigeria in the regional final.

    “The team obtained good result at the regional final and they were given the privilege to represent their schools and Nigeria in the global final,’’ she said.

    Mr Igwe Keneth, Huawei, ICT Ecosystem Development Manager, said the company celebrated students from Nigeria who achieved excellent results in the 2020 Huawei ICT Competition.

    Keneth said two teams from Nigeria came out of the completion with grand prize; it was unprecedented in the competition history.

    “We came here today to give them the award and celebrate with them and also launch the 2021-2022 Huawei ICT Competition for students.

    “In the 2021-2022 competition there will be a cloud track, network track and innovation track where students will come with innovative ideas and present it during the competition,’’ Kenneth said.

    The manager said the Huawei ICT competition was initiated to cultivate ICT talents.

    He added that the competition provides the necessary platform for students to get knowledge and experience to build the talent for the ICT ecosystem.

  • Britain issues new deadline for installation of Huawei 5G kit

    Britain issues new deadline for installation of Huawei 5G kit

    The British government on Monday said that it would ban providers from installing Huawei equipment in the country’s 5G network beginning from September 2021.

    Oliver Dowden, the secretary of state for the Department of Media, Culture and Sport, gave the new deadline ahead of the Telecommunications (Security) Bill coming before the Parliament today , British media including the Press Association reported.

    “We are taking bold steps to implement one of the toughest telecoms security regimes in the world

    “A central part of that is combating high-risk vendors, and I have set out an unambiguous timetable for the complete removal of Huawei equipment from our 5G networks no later than 2027,’’ Dowden said in a statement.

    The British government in July said it would exclude the Chinese tech giant from its 5G infrastructure, citing security concerns.

    Dowden at the time said parts already installed are to be removed by 2027, including existing 4G (LTE) infrastructure.

  • Huawei inaugurates ICT equipment it donated to ABU

    Huawei inaugurates ICT equipment it donated to ABU

    Huawei, a Chinese multinational technology company and global leader in ICT and Telecommunication Solutions, has inaugurated ICT training equipment it donated to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

    The equipment will be used to train students in intermediate and advanced technologies in routing, switching and cyber security.

    Malam Auwalu Umar, Acting Director, Public Affairs Directorate at ABU, said in a statement issued on Saturday in Zaria that the equipment comprised three Huawei AR6280 routers and five Huawei S5720 switches for designing physical and logical topologies.

    He stated added that Ms. Melissa-Chen Yangfeng, Director of Enterprise Delivery and Service, Huawei Technologies Nigeria Ltd., inaugurated the equipment at the university’s NLG Engineering Laboratory.

    Umar quoted Melissa-Chen as saying that the relationship between the university and the global ICT firm dated way back to 2018.

    Melissa-Chen added that in 2018, the university and Huawei signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a partnership on Huawei Authorised Information Network Academy (HAINA) programme and other Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

    Umar said the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kabir Bala, appreciated Huawei’s since the signing of the MoU and expressed satisfaction with the outcomes so far recorded.

    Umar also quoted Bala as saying that more than 800 enrolments had been made and 350 persons were certified in different certificate tracks in the HAINA programme.

    Bala explained that Fahad Danladi, a student of the ABU, recently acquired the highest-level certification HCIE (Huawei Certified ICT Expert) and would serve the mandatory NYSC with Huawei.

    He added that the university had four instructors for the HCIE and HCIP certification training programmes.

    The vice-chancellor said that the successes recorded so far was due to the commitment of the instructors and the dedication and interest by students, stressing that ABU would continue to support the Huawei ICT academy.

    Bala equally, assured Huawei that the university would make judicious use of the equipment donated to it.

    He also noted that creating and maintaining a strong ICT base would enhance the discovery of ICT talents, skills acquisition, opportunities and promote industry certifications.

  • Huawei sales up but growth slows under virus, U.S. pressure

    Huawei sales up but growth slows under virus, U.S. pressure

    Chinese tech giant Huawei, one of the biggest makers of smartphones and switching equipment, said Friday its revenue rose 9.9 per cent in the first nine months of this year.

    Huawei Technologies Ltd., gave no sales figure for the most recent quarter ending in September, but growth for the first three quarters was down from the 13.1 per cent reported for the first half of the year.

    Huawei is struggling with U.S. sanctions that cut off its access to most American technology and components in a feud with Beijing over technology and security.

    The White House says Huawei is a threat and might facilitate Chinese spying, which the company denies.

    In August, Washington prohibited Huawei from buying any semiconductor chips made with U.S software or technology, putting the smartphone maker in a bind.

    On Thursday, Huawei launched its new Mate 40 phone.

    Chinese companies haven’t yet been able to produce similarly advanced chips, experts say.