Huawei committed to support Sarawak's digitalisation journey - CEO

KUCHING - Huawei is committed to supporting Sarawak’s digitalisation journey by working together to build digital infrastructure to widen connectivity coverage, especially in the state’s rural areas.

Huawei Malaysia chief executive officer Simon Sun said the support is evidenced by a collaboration with the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) to install communication sites to improve the state’s Internet coverage.

He said a total of 600 communication sites are expected to be built by next year under the Sarawak Multimedia Authority Rural Telecommunication (SMART) initiatives.

"So far, we have managed to build 427 sites and by the end of this year, we target 550 will be ready.

"This is our commitment and we will accelerate the installation of these sites. This is our initiative to connect the unconnected,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the 27th World Congress on Innovation and Technology and the 6th International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (WCIT|IDECS) 2023 here today.

The three-day event which started at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCKK) today saw more than 10,000 attendees from 46 countries.

The event serves as a platform for participants to discuss, exchange knowledge and insights and establish a real, definite pathway forward in driving an innovation, technology and sustainability-centric business ecosystem and community, amid today’s rapidly evolving 21st-century challenges.

To ensure the project's success and to support and service the state government better, Huawei Malaysia has formed a Huawei East Office in Kuching, Sun said, adding that it is 90 per cent locally staffed and it will collaborate with industry partners.

"Huawei aims to provide knowledge transfer and skills improvement to enhance the local ecosystem,” he said.

Apart from helping Sarawak in its digitalisation journey, Huawei is also ready to support Malaysia’s digital transformation, Sun said.

Huawei’s experience in Malaysia includes building its connectivity with digital infrastructures as well as developing digital industrial solutions, he said.

"We see Malaysia as an important partner. That's why our regional headquarters is here. Huawei began operations in Malaysia in 2001 and we are proud to have served more than 80 per cent of the population since the era of 2G telecommunications.

"Here, we collaborate with universities, governments, and industry partners and bring industrial solutions, including ‘smart classrooms’, ‘smart highways’ and ‘smart airports’ solutions to Malaysia,” he added. - BERNAMA