HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES: TACKLING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
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HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES: BRINGING RURAL CANADIANS CLOSER WITH HIGH-SPEED INTERNET WRITTEN BY
LAURA MULLAN PRODUCED BY
ARRON RAMPLING
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H UAW E I T E C H N O LO G I E S
FAMOUS AS A TRAILBLAZER IN THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS AND 5G MARKET, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES IS NOW TURNING ITS ATTENTION TO CANADA’S FAR NORTH IN A BID TO CONNECT REMOTE, RURAL COMMUNITIES
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hether you want to reconnect with a long lost friend, learn a new language or even order a taxi, the internet has made it
possible with just a click of a button. It’s arguably one of the most disruptive technological innovations 04
of the last century. In fact, in Canada’s Internet Factbook 2018, a whopping 96% of Canadians highlighted how high-quality internet access was important at home, with 59% going as far as to call it ‘critically important’. Yet, whilst the internet may seem like a ubiquitous tool, ready and waiting at our fingertips, for many of Canada’s rural communities, poor or no internet access is a common reality. One firm hoping to remedy this is Huawei Technologies Inc. The Chinese powerhouse has made it big in the consumer electronics market, standing as the second largest phone maker in the world, and it’s also leading the race towards 5G. Chris Pereira, Director of Public Affairs at Huawei Technologies, outlines how Canada has played a vital role in Huawei’s success, standing as a central hub for research and development. “Last year,
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H UAW E I T E C H N O LO G I E S
“ H AVING ACCESS TO HIGH-SPEED INTERNET CAN BE LIFE CHANGING” — Christopher Pereira, Director of Public Affairs, Huawei Technologies Canada 06
we invested $180mn in research and development in Canada to build our research centre in Ottawa and to accelerate 5G research,” he notes – and now the company wants to give back. Pereira explains that, by committing to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, Huawei is embarking on an ambitious endeavor: to connect all Canadians with high-speed internet by 2030. In addition, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CTRC) universal service objective for fixed Internet access service is that all Canadians have access to at least 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload, with an option of unlimited data. Likewise, the universal service objective for mobile wireless services is that all Canadians have access to the latest generally deployed mobile wireless technology (currently LTE). According to regulators, mobile services should be accessible in homes, businesses and along major transportation roads. To make its commitments a reality, Huawei has turned its attention to the remote towns and villages across Northern Canada. “That’s the place
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘NORTHERN LIGHTS’ 07 where the connectivity is the weakest,
can be life changing in a few ways,”
so we’re trying to connect people in
observes Pereira. “With high-speed
more remote and smaller communities,”
internet, you can open an online store
Pereira says, noting how he and his
or help your business grow beyond
team recently visited the north-western
your own community, so it’s helping
Canadian town of Inuvik, located 200km
to connect the north to the economy.
inside the Arctic circle. In this region,
Another aspect that’s often overlooked
you can witness a midnight sun or the
is how it can help communities
mesmerising lights of Aurora Borealis
reconnect.” Pereira points out that
– but until recently the internet connection
many Inuit populations were extremely
was exceedingly sluggish. Now, by
isolated before they had high-speed
partnering with Ice Wireless, Huawei
internet, whereas now with the rollout
has been able to deliver high-speed
of 4G, Inuit communities are using the
4G LTE services to the remote town.
internet to sell and trade goods or
“Having access to high-speed internet
connect with each other via Facebook w w w.hua wei. com
H UAW E I T E C H N O LO G I E S
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in their own language. “Aboriginal
Pereira. “When you build a network
culture can be maintained and flourish
tower, it can get covered in thick ice
because of the connectivity that the
in the winter so the equipment needs
internet brings,” he says.
to be very tough and durable. You also
In trying to provide Northern Canada
need to power the station; sometimes
– where temperatures can plunge to
these stations are in such remote
-40°C – with high speed internet
places that you don’t have a power
access, Huawei has a mammoth
supply nearby so you need to find an
challenge on its hands. “The biggest
alternative solution, like solar.” To take
challenge is the environment,” admits
on this challenge, Pereira points out
how Huawei relies on the expertise of its team (today the firm has around 1,100 employees in Canada, with around 91% being Canadian citizens) as well as its renowned R&D capabilities. “We have around 193,000 employees around the globe and more than 80,000 of them are involved in R&D. In many ways you could say we’re an R&D company,” Pereira adds. In many ways, the challenges faced in Canada’s north mirror those faced in Africa. Both places are remote, short on funds, and often not very populated. Fortunately, Huawei already has extensive first-hand experience in such environments. In 2017, it launched
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Christopher Pereira Chris Pereira aims to connect people to ideas and opportunities through communication. He is an experienced media communications and branding professional from Canada with 15 years of experience in China.
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H UAW E I T E C H N O LO G I E S
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“ W ITH HIGH-SPEED INTERNET, YOU CAN OPEN AN ONLINE STORE OR HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW BEYOND YOUR OWN COMMUNITY” — Christopher Pereira, Director of Public Affairs, Huawei Technologies Canada
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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘AURORA BOREALIS PROJECT: EP1 – BARBARA’
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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘RURALSTAR LIGHTS THE WAY TO GREATER GROWTH, HOPE & HEALTH’ 13 RuralStar, an affordable base station to help bring internet connection to villages in Africa. “Similar to Northern Canada, we faced a lot of environmental challenges, though it was the complete opposite in terms of conditions,” explains Pereira. “It was very hot and dry; the equipment needed to be able to operate in 40-50°C weather and deal with dust storms and power issues.” On top of this, Huawei also has equipment at some of the highest points in the world, like the base camp of Mount Everest, so it’s well equipped
“ A BORIGINAL CULTURE CAN BE MAINTAINED AND FLOURISH BECAUSE OF THE CONNECTIVITY THAT THE INTERNET BRINGS” — Christopher Pereira, Director of Public Affairs, Huawei Technologies Canada
to tackle rough terrain. w w w.hua wei. com
H UAW E I T E C H N O LO G I E S
C O M PA N Y FACT S
• Huawei Technologies hopes to help connect all Canadians to high-speed internet by 2030. Huawei Technologies has over 1,100 employees in Canada, 91% of whom are Canadian citizens. Huawei Technologies has over 193,000 employees around the globe, with more than 80,000 R&D staff. 14
Huawei’s equipment is sturdy, reliable and well made; it’s no wonder that the firm has dominated the market with its phone offerings like the new P30 smartphone. “We grow by reflection – that’s part of the culture of Huawei,” explains Pereira. “We look at what we’re doing now and we see what we can make better in the next iteration. We’re not afraid to make mistakes, but we are afraid of repeating those mistakes. Huawei is very tireless in its pursuit of innovation.”
“ W E GROW BY REFLECTION – THAT’S PART OF THE CULTURE OF HUAWEI” — Christopher Pereira, Director of Public Affairs, Huawei Technologies Canada
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With over 50 contracts already
Canada but, with its latest project,
signed around the world, the company
Huawei is taking care not to leave
is also streaking ahead of its peers
the rural areas of the country behind.
when it comes to 5G. “Huawei is about
“In five years’ time, I hope we’ll be doing
12 months ahead of any other company
this interview over Skype from the
in terms of end-to-end 5G solutions,”
Arctic,” says Pereira. “I hope we will
adds Pereira, highlighting that 5G
have high-speed internet across this
will be at least 10 times faster than its
great country.”
predecessor so you can download a movie in seconds. It will also support driverless cars and other IoT networked devices. The rollout of 5G will undoubtedly be momentous for w w w.hua wei. com
Huawei Technologies 19 Allstate Pkwy Markham, ON L3R 5A4, Canada T 1-888-548-2934 www.huawei.com