The Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has received Huawei's Network Sector Head Ben Wei and Huawei North Africa Vice President Shiu Yung, in the presence of Huawei Egypt CEO Yang Tao, where they discussed the importance of maintaining a long-term strategic partnership between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and Huawei.
During the meeting, they reviewed topics discussed in a recent meeting held between President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Huawei’s Chairwoman Sun Yafang during the latter’s visit to China in September 2015.
Tao also reviewed, during the meeting, Huawei’s expansion plans carried out over the last five years in the Egyptian market, referring to the company's plan to raise and develop the network quality and increase its operational efficiency.
In this context, ElKady requested Huawei’s officials to provide the latest ICT developments in this area to raise the level of services provided to citizens, as well as taking advantage of this technology in various sectors that affect the daily life of citizens.
ElKady has said that MCIT considers Huawei a strategic partner in the sector, having many years of joint successes and achievements. MCIT welcomes maintaining and developing this partnership and taking advantage of Huawei's outstanding expertise in developing the ICT sector, he has added. He has also said that MCIT expects Huawei to take effective and speedy actions in cooperation with network operators to raise their efficiency and create a system of harmony in working with all telecommunications networks operators in the Egyptian market.
Mr Wei has said that they are committed to provide the latest developments reached over the long years of presence including expertise and technology mechanisms.
In response to ElKady’s query about rumors that Huawei intends to dispense with some Egyptian employees and transfer its technical support center to India, Tao has said the information is incorrect and harms the strategic partnership between the two parties. He has added that the news is absurd knowing that the company has plans for expansions and new investments in the Egyptian market.
Tao has also said that Egypt is a significant strategic market and Huawei’s office in Cairo has been a regional center for North Africa for more than 16 years. He said that the center, located in Smart Village, is one of the successful centers worldwide covering more than 70 countries and serving technical support services in three languages for more than 165 clients by Egyptian qualified calibers.
Moreover, Tao has stated that Huawei's employees are important assets; they are the main cause of the company’s consequent successes. He also added that the company has increased the number of Huawei Egypt staff to reach 700, with a surge of more than 100 employees in 2014, especially with the current growing investment opportunities. Huawei' also contributed to creating more than 2,000 jobs through its partnership with more than 50 national companies to work in the company's various projects. Tao has said that the company has a global reputation that obliges itself to respect the Egyptian labor law. Huawei has moral obligation towards its employees and its leadership role in the ICT sector in Egypt.
Yung has said that Huawei benefit from qualified Egyptian calibers not only in Cairo’s office, but also in North Africa offices, believing in their efficiency and competency.
Huawei, in addition to its regional center for technical support in Egypt, has five Global Resource Service Centers “GSRC” around the world to provide technical support to its customers in their premises. Egypt GSRC is one of the strongest centers as it recruits fresh graduates of engineering faculties and train them to deal with Huawei clients around the world.
At the conclusion of the meeting, El Kady has underlined the need to increase the number of Egyptian competencies. Both parties have agreed that Huawei should participate in providing technological solutions for smart cities, given their experience in several countries. They also also agreed upon a quick start for improving telecommunication networks in cooperation with service operators in the Egyptian market.
