Outlook 2022: “We Want to Bring Digital to Every Person, Home, and Organisation”
Shunli Wang, the Vice President of Huawei Middle East, speaks about the upcoming opportunities in 2022
How was 2021 for Huawei, and for your industry in general?
We can see now how the digital economy has truly taken shape in the Middle East. The backbone of this digital economy is a new era of hyperconnectivity; one that is enabled by robust investments in digital infrastructure. It results from deliberate efforts by regional industry and government leaders to lay a foundation for economic and social transformation.
Moving into a post-pandemic era, businesses are now rebounding and picking up the pace to re-establish their position in the market. In particular, we witnessed a surge in how organizations across nearly every sector embraced digital transformation. Whether in the areas of education, healthcare, government, or elsewhere, the true value of advanced ICT became more apparent than ever before.
At Huawei, we have been supporting the digital economy by rapidly developing and implementing innovative technologies in fields such as 5G, Cloud, AI, IoT, digital power, and more. We have also worked extensively this year with partners to tackle key industry challenges around cybersecurity, the greening of the ICT value chain, tech talent development, and so on.
As per our global business results for the first three quarters of 2021 released at the end of October, overall performance was in line with our forecast. While our B2C business has been impacted due to external factors, our B2B businesses remain stable. Through our ongoing commitment to innovation, R&D, and talent acquisition, and rigorous attention to operating efficiency, we are confident we will continue to create practical value for our customers and the communities in which we work.
Going forward, we continue to believe deeply in the power of digital technology to provide fresh solutions to the problems the world is facing right now. We will keep on innovating to help build a low-carbon, intelligent world.
What were Huawei’s key achievements in 2021?
This year was another challenging year for us, but it was also the year that our future development strategy began to take shape. No matter what challenges come our way, we will continue to maintain our business resilience. Not just to survive, but do so sustainably. As always, we will remain focused on the needs of our customers and keep delivering practical business value.
While we were pleased to work on many landmark projects together with our government, enterprise, and telco customers, what was perhaps most rewarding was to see the continued trust and recognition that our customers place in Huawei. Our approach to customer-centric innovation, our standards-based approach to collaboration, and the resulting contribution we are able to bring to local economies were truly remarkable in 2021. It is something we are very proud of.
We saw in 2021 that the real value of digital innovation transcended the technology industry only, and has had transformative implications for society as a whole. More specifically, the practical applications we introduced with emerging technologies like cloud, 5G, and green technologies proved incredibly important in a post-pandemic era.
The launch of the Huawei Digital Power business in 2021, for example, has been a testament to how we are combining digital and power electronics technology to contribute to a low-carbon, smarter society. We also set out plans in 2021 to enable car OEMs to build better vehicles through digital technologies, investing in research in self-driving and electric-car technologies.
Looking at 2022, which technologies do you think will be in greatest demand?
We have all witnessed the role that technology can play in societal transformation, especially over the last year during the pandemic. Looking at 2022, applications based on 5G, AI, cloud, and digital power will continue to be vital in helping organisations not just survive but thrive.
That being said, we certainly look at the development of the overall 5G ecosystem as a barometer of our success. Through strong investments in both technology and talent, a positive 5G business cycle has now emerged. Yet the 5G development journey is far from over. We see a clear opportunity to advance the 5G value proposition for businesses in the Middle East in 2022.
The region’s cloud market is also anticipated to grow steadily in 2022. As such, HUAWEI CLOUD is another particularly exciting area for us in 2022. HUAWEI CLOUD now delivers a smart experience for people, cities, and enterprises in all scenarios. It is part of Huawei’s commitment to providing reliable, secure, and cost-effective cloud services and helping organisations of all sizes grow in today’s intelligent world.
As always, we remain committed to technological innovation and investing heavily in R&D as we work to address supply continuity challenges caused by restrictions in the market. We will continue making breakthroughs in basic science and pushing the frontiers of technology.
Aside from individual technologies, what are Huawei’s focal points moving into 2022?
It really comes back to our vision and mission. We want to bring digital to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. In 2022, we will pursue this in part through a sustainability strategy anchored in four priorities: Digital Inclusion, Security and Trustworthiness, Environmental Protection, and Healthy and Harmonious Ecosystems. These priorities will all be supported through deep investments in R&D and joint innovation programs in the Middle East and worldwide.
