Huawei is bullish on its Middle East business growth prospects this year despite the Covid-19 pandemic and pressure from US politicians, the company’s regional president said on Monday.
“Despite the US pressure [to exclude the company from 5G deals] and Covid-19 disruptions, we are very satisfied with our result in the Middle East. I am also very bullish on the future business growth,” said Charles Yang, without disclosing any numbers.
“5G construction in the Middle East started around two years ago … and now this region is at par with [South] Korea in terms of 5G roll out and is among the top performing markets for Huawei.”
A 5G network promises an internet speed of up to 1.2 gigabits per second, which will gradually reach 10Gbps — more than 100 times faster than 4G.
Huawei is a key player in providing 5G services globally. By the end of February, the telecoms equipment maker said it had managed to secure 91 5G contracts, of which 12 are in the Middle East.
“We made sure that the Middle East has great quality of [5G] network and operators can explore opportunities in both B2B and B2C ecosystems,” Mr Yang told the media event.
The 5G networks are also proving “handy to assist frontline workers fighting [the] Covid-19 pandemic” in the region, he added.
“We have accelerated the delivery and deployment of 5G networks in the Middle East to fight the pandemic ... it is very useful in telemedicine and remote meetings ... we expect a wider adoption of 5G in the region in the post Covid-19 period,” he said.
Last year, Huawei announced it will build ‘5G & IoT Joint OpenLab’ in Dubai in partnership with the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
“This lab is under construction and it will be ready by the year-end," Mr Yang said.
Established in Dubai Media City, the facility will focus on developing the fifth-generation mobile network technology and IoT.
Huawei, which has more than 100 retail shops and more than a dozen product experience centres in the GCC, will open its biggest experience centre in the UAE’s Dubai Mall by the end of this year.
The world's largest telecoms equipment maker saw its global annual revenue rise 18 per cent to more than Dh447.7 billion in 2019, which was lower than its earlier projections.
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2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Ferrari
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Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
