BEIJING — A Saudi media delegation visited Huawei’s global headquarters in China to get a closer look at the company’s latest innovations and solutions, and learn about its business strategy and vision in this new digital age. The tour follows an increase in activities aimed at boosting bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and China: these include the visit to China of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and defense minister; the adoption of Mandarin in the curricula of Saudi Arabia; increased opportunities for culture and knowledge transfer between the two nations; and the Saudi Investment Forum in China, where Huawei signed 5 MoUs with public-and-private-sector organizations to develop the ICT sector in the Kingdom.

The media was given the opportunity to meet directly with Huawei’s global executives and experts to discuss the vital role emerging technologies are playing in advancing digital transformation. In addition, Saudi journalists toured Huawei’s laboratories and other various departments, where they learned how fifth generation technology will contribute to the development of key vertical sectors. The delegation learned why ICT is at the heart of the success of the Kingdom’s efforts to build a sustainable and knowledge-based economy, in line with the National Transformation Program and the Saudi Vision 2030.

Commenting on the visit, Dennis Zhang, CEO of Huawei Saudi Arabia, said: “We are delighted to host the media delegation from the Kingdom in China. Huawei sees journalists as important partners in highlighting the value of the ICT industry to society as a whole, and explaining how it will contribute to social and economic development. At Huawei, we are committed to establishing a mature and comprehensive digital ecosystem in the Kingdom to support the government objectives set out in the National Transformation Program 2020 and Saudi Vision 2030.”

Since Huawei opened its first office in Saudi Arabia in 2002, the company has become synonymous with high quality in the field of ICT. Huawei works with hand-in-hand with private- and public-sector organizations to launch its most cutting-edge ICT solutions in the Kingdom. Huawei is committed to strengthening Saudi Arabia’s ICT infrastructure and has led the development of telecom networks and supported operators in connecting over two-thirds of the Saudi population. Providing services to over 14 government ministries and countless organizations, Huawei currently stands at the second largest service provider in the Kingdom, as well as ranking second in the smartphone market in Saudi Arabia and globally.

The Saudi media delegation was briefed on Huawei’s vision for 5G, a field in which the company has established itself as the undisputed global leader. Since 2009, Huawei has invested $600 million in 5G R&D and opened eleven 5G research centers around the world. Huawei also launched the Wireless X Labs to explore how 5G solutions can be applied across vertical sectors. Huawei was the first company in the world to overcome the obstacles to starting business operations for 5G when it launched the world’s first V5-based solutions and products, and was the first company to introduce processor chips, in addition to providing comprehensive solutions based on 5G. To date, Huawei has achieved unparalleled success in the commercialization of fifth generation networks, with more than 40,000 major generation VLANs being shipped through more than 30 commercial contracts signed with customers around the world.

In a speech, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Bin Amer Al-Sawah revealed that Saudi Arabia has made the commercialization of 5G services a priority for 2019. This is due to the huge impact 5G will have on the economy; the Minister predicted that by 2030 5G would inject more than $8 billion in telecom revenues, more than $19 billion in GDP, and create about 20,000 new jobs in the field of ICT. In addition, 5G is expected to support 45 million new internet devices, creating a market beyond $12 billion by 2030.

The Saudi media delegation was given the opportunity to witness Huawei’s revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Huawei’s AI portfolio includes the AI-based Ascend chipset, the world’ s first artificial intelligence protocol, and the first series of processor chips specifically designed to deal with different scenarios in different sectors. Huawei’s achievements also include new products and cloud services based on the capabilities of the Ascend processor chip. The delegation also learned about electronic computing, which is expected to dramatically change the momentum of digitization and improve the business of enterprises and the lives of individuals. By enabling the integration of AI across vertical sectors, Huawei aims to deploy smart technologies to increase productivity and slash costs across industries.

The Saudi delegation discussed with Huawei’s experts the company’s contribution to AI development in the world in general, and in the Middle East in particular. The Kingdom, and the GCC as a whole, has proved to be pioneers in the implementation of AI, as demonstrated by the fact the region was among the first worldwide to important Huawei’s cutting-edge AI-driven products and solutions. — SG