Huawei to expand in India

BANGALORE: China’s largest telecom equipment manufacturer and network

solutions provider, Huawei Technologies is planning to invest $3 million to

increase its presence in India. Speaking on the company’s India initiative,

Huawei (Bangalore) Business Operation chief operation officer Lu Ke said,

"Over the next two years, we are planning to invest $3 million for our

expansion plans in India. Also, we expect revenues of $6.5 million in these two

years. For the next five years, we plan to pump $9.5 million into our India

operations."

Huawei Technologies, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, had started its India

development center in 1999 at ITPL, Bangalore. The company deals in intelligent

network, access network, switching network, mobile network, data communications,

call center and wireless in local loop. Its India development center develops

the software for all Huawei products.

The $1.5 billion Huawei is planning to employ around 350 people in India by

this year-end and increase it to 700 professionals by 2001. The company plans to

tie up with a local partner to distribute its products in the domestic market.

Commenting on the opportunities in India, Ke said, "The Indian and the

Chinese markets are on par. China has greater potential in the telecom market.

But we want to grow in the software business also. Indian software engineers are

highly qualified and have expertise in software development. We see a huge

opportunity in having a software development center in India."

According to Huawei (Bangalore) Business Operation general

manager-Engineering Division Richard Huang, in China, Huawei has 33 per cent

market share in switching systems, 70 per cent in access network, 18 per cent in

GSM and 70 per cent in WLL. "Our products are being used by more than 20

countries and regions including USA, Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, Kenya, Yemen and

Hong Kong. We have a joint venture with Beto Huawei in Russia," said Huang.

Currently, the company has a marketing office in Delhi and about 63

professionals working in its Bangalore development center. Shortly, Huawei will

open its second development center in Bangalore.