HUAWEI CONNECT 2022 kicked off in Bangkok recently. Ken Hu, Rotating Chairman of Huawei, delivered a keynote speech, Unleash Digital. Zhang Ping’an, CEO of Huawei Cloud, announced plans to launch new Regions in Indonesia and Ireland, unveiled the "Go Cloud, Go Global" ecosystem plan, and reaffirmed the commitment to Everything as a Service. Jacqueline Shi, President of Huawei Cloud's Global Marketing and Sales Service, said that Huawei Cloud will launch more than 15 innovations globally, covering cloud native, AI development, data governance, digital content, software development, and MacroVerse aPaaS.

According to Ken Hu, organizations should embrace the cloud for leapfrog development as digital smart tech is the future. Huawei Cloud has integrated more than 240 services and more than 50,000 APIs to bring the latest AI, application development, and big data technologies and development tools to the cloud. The innovation and expertise of Huawei Cloud will help more organizations move to the cloud faster and better.

Huawei Cloud is committed to building one global network, which allows services on Huawei Cloud to be accessed within 50 milliseconds from anywhere on the globe. Enterprises will no longer need to build their own data centers. Huawei Cloud will launch new Regions in Indonesia and Ireland. By the end of this year, Huawei Cloud will have deployed 29 Regions and 75 availability zones (AZs) covering more than 170 countries and regions.

Zhang Ping'an also released the "Go Cloud, Go Global" plan. With a focus on Everything as a Service, Huawei Cloud will share its localized experience acquired in the services for more than 170 countries and regions, as well as insight into businesses and industries in major regions, and contribute its technologies and solutions to a global ecosystem. Such effort will help more enterprises use cloud better and go global more successfully.

Huawei Cloud sticks to the approach of "by local, for local" for building a global digital ecosystem. Over the next three years, Huawei Cloud will provide support for at least 10,000 promising startups around the world, with support including cost optimization, technical support, entrepreneurship training, and other business resources. More than 120 enterprises in Asia Pacific have joined the Huawei Cloud Startup Program.

Huawei is also honing the industry-leading platform for innovations on the cloud. In her speech, Jacqueline Shi introduced 15 innovative Huawei Cloud services, including CCE Turbo, Ubiquitous Cloud Native Service (UCS), Pangu wave model, DataArts LakeFormation, Virtual Live, CodeCheck and CloudTest, KooMessage, KooSearch, and KooGallery.

Looking ahead, Huawei Cloud will continue to enable industries through Infrastructure as a Service, Technology as a Service, and Expertise as a Service, to unleash digital with Everything as a Service and build the cloud foundation for an intelligent world.

The Huawei nova Y70, a premium, feature-filled smartphone available at a consumer-friendly price, was recently launched into the Sri Lankan market. The Huawei nova Y70 is the brands latest addition to its nova series of smartphones, which is designed to let consumers enjoy an unparalleled user experience at a friendlier price.

The most incredible feature of the Huawei nova Y70 is its mammoth 6000mAh battery, which enables the users to continue doing the things they love, without unnecessary breaks. The battery is especially designed to for heavy users such as gamers. It supports 22.5W Huawei SuperCharge which charges the battery in almost no time at all. 22.5 W HUAWEI SuperCharge will give 3 hours of video playing on just 10 minutes of charging.

It also features the EMUI version 12 with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) build in. The 128GB of internal storage, which allows users maximum use of their smartphone without any concerns. The internal storage works in conjunction with 4 GB of RAM and additional storage can also be added via a MicroSD card.

The Huawei nova Y70 has a rear mounted AI Triple Camera, consisting of a 48MP High-res Main Camera, a 120^o 5MP Ultra Wide-Angle Camera and a 2MP Depth Camera. The Main Camera coupled with optimised Huawei algorithms, Huawei nova Y70 great enhances the quality of photographs, and optimises them even while shooting against the light. The 120^o 5MP Ultra Wide-Angle Camera helps add more content into landscape and group photos.  The 2MP Depth Camera works in tandem with the newly developed Bokeh algorithm which blurs background features and allows the user to focus on the subject of the photo.

Another exceptional feature of the Huawei nova Y70 is it’s large 6.75-inch Huawei FullView Display with a 1600 x 720 resolution, which is great for watch videos, photography, and gaming. The screen supports 10-point multi-touch technology which provides fast responses even when multi-finger gestures are used. To further reduce the burden on the user’s eyes, the Huawei nova Y70 features smart dimming, a luminous screen, and video quality enhancement to help enhance the user’s visual experience.

The sound quality on the Huawei nova Y70 is exceptionally clear and features enhanced bass and more to ensure clarity. The smartphone also features a 3.5 mm jack for headphones. The Huawei Nova Y70 runs smoothly, with zero lag even when multitasking.

The smartphone features mobile services such as Petal Search, Petal Map, Huawei Health, My Huawei, and the safe and secure Huawei AppGallery, Additionally, Using Huawei AppGallery users can also freely download and use their favourite social media apps essential banking apps such as BOC, Sampath Bank, Commercial Bank, Peoples’ Bank, NTB Bank; local operator apps such as My Dialog, My SLT, HUTCH Selfcare, Airtel Self Care; taxi apps such as PickMe Passenger, PickMe Driver; and other useful apps such as Helakuru and more as they are all compatible with the Huawei nova Y70.

Huawei nova Y70 is a smart phone with premium features for a customer friendly price point in the market. It guarantees stability in its performance regardless of the user’s preferences in terms of gaming, photography or watching videos. Additionally, the first 500 customers are offered Huawei FreeLace Bluetooth headphones absolutely free. The headphones are comfortable and provide impressively clear sound quality along with a battery life of approximately 18 hours. It is available in 3 different colours and can be purchased from Singer outlets, Singer online shop, Authorized dealer shops and Daraz online shop at Rs. 76,999/-

More details about the products and applicable terms and conditions can be obtained from the official Huawei website -https://consumer.huawei.com/lk/phones/nova-y70/

At the Industry Conference & Exhibition (IC&E) 2022 hosted by the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance, Dr. Wen Tong, Huawei Fellow and CTO of Huawei Wireless, delivered a keynote speech titled "Bridging 5G to 6G". In his speech, Dr. Tong explained the driving forces and plans that can help 5G evolve into 6G, noting that 5.5G is a necessary step to accelerating this development.

New Services Drive 5G to 5.5G to Provide New Capabilities.

5G is developing worldwide, with up to 40 base stations available on average for every 10 thousand users. In China, 5G is serving more than 30 vertical industries, directly creating an economic output worth US$1.3 trillion in 2021. Emerging 2C and 2B applications require further advancements in 5G capabilities, and this is driving the evolution to 5.5G, which will be defined by the improvements on enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), and also new capabilities for sensing, passive IoT, positioning, and intelligence. With them, 5.5G will be able to support 10 Gbps downlink, 1 Gbps uplink, 100 billion-level connections, and native intelligence, embarking on a new journey of 5G.

Ultra-high Bandwidth Is Essential to Downlink 10 Gbps.

Ultra-high bandwidth is only possible with sufficient spectrum, and this highlights the urgent need to fully use sub-100 GHz resources. By adding 200 to 400 MHz bandwidth of the 6 GHz band and 800 MHz bandwidth of mmWave to the existing 100 MHz FDD and 100 MHz TDD spectrum pools, the industry will be able to bring 10 Gbps to all users anytime, anywhere.

Uplink-Downlink Decoupling for Multi-Band Convergence Is the Basis of Uplink 1 Gbps.

Industry digitalization requires uplink to be far more powerful than downlink. With uplink-downlink decoupling, uplink and downlink spectrum on different bands can be flexibly combined to support 2B, including existing FDD spectrum and newly defined uplink-only spectrum. Through uplink/downlink decoupling, spectrum convergence will be possible to ensure 1 Gbps uplink.

To date, uplink-downlink decoupling has been commercialized in mining, steel, and many other industries to ensure 1 Gbps uplink for simultaneous 100-channel transmission of HD videos, 360° remote control, and other 2B applications.

"5.5G will bridge 5G to 6G. 5.5G and 6G will be fundamental to linking the physical world to digital and intelligent worlds," Dr. Tong concluded. "The success of the mobile industry depends on unified standardization and industry collaboration. Let's jointly advance to 5.5G and boost collaboration to accelerate technology maturity for a sustainable future."

Photo caption: Dr. Wen Tong, Huawei Fellow, delivering a keynote speech at the IC&E 2022

Gets two new awards for ‘15 Best Workplaces for Millennials™ in Sri Lanka in 2022’ and for “Excellence in Encouraging Opportunities for Innovation”

Leading ICT solutions provider Huawei Technologies Lanka has been Great Place to Work Certified for the fourth time by the independent analysts at Great Place to Work® Sri Lanka.  Moreover, apart from being certified as a Great Place to Work, Huawei Technologies Lanka has also been recognized in the esteemed list of ‘50 Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka in 2022’ for the second consecutive year.  Company has additionally won two new awards this year being recognized among the ‘15 Best Workplaces for Millennials™ in Sri Lanka for 2022’ and also being recognized for “Excellence in Encouraging Opportunities for Innovation”. A ceremony was recently held at the Huawei office in Colombo to celebrate these four Great Place to Work Achievements.

This recognition has been received for Huawei’s sustained focus on fostering a culture of high-trust, integrity, growth, and care for the employees while the company is advancing its journey of digitalization, intelligent transformation, and low carbon neutralization. Huawei earned this credential based on extensive ratings provided by its employees in independent anonymous survey conducted by Great Place to Work® Sri Lanka and a robust submission on its people practices.

“We are proud and grateful to be a great employer of choice winning the trust of our employees over the years.  Huawei’s all technological advancements are achievements of the unique Huawei culture and the eco system that exist within the company. Huawei Technologies Lanka is dedicated devoted to provide a good continuously Improving environment to our employees. At Huawei, we strongly believe in creating opportunities, encouraging teamwork, nurturing talent, and enhancing leadership capability and our employees have always been our most valuable asset in achieving organizational goals. I take this opportunity again to thank all our employees for their hard work and loyalty shown towards the organization” CEO Huawei Sri Lanka Tao Guangyao said speaking at the event.

He highlighted that with years of ICT Industry experience across the world and two decades ICT experience in Sri Lanka, Huawei believes it is particularly important to introduce the latest technologies to the ICT industry, youth job seekers and the Sri Lankan talent market and show them how science and technology can change our lives, and support their efforts in gaining the new knowledge and experience, so that talented people continue to stay inspired and help Sri Lanka to advance as a digital economy.

Amidst continuous challenges faced by Sri Lanka with the pandemic and business and dynamic economic environment, Huawei in Sri Lanka is continuously hiring new talent from Sri Lanka’s talent market providing growth and employment opportunities in ICT sector, especially tech talent to boost company’s innovation strength and talent capital enabling Sri Lankan talents to pursue their future growth. Huawei has implemented several path-breaking groundbreaking policies and practices for various segments of the company’s employees and will continue to evolve with the times to nurture and empower them.

Huawei believes ICT talent is one of the key elements for the success of digitalization and economic prosperity in a fast changing global economic and social landscape. Huawei is always committed to cultivating local ICT talent and improving the competitiveness of the Sri Lankan youth through Partner Training Programmes, and have established Huawei ASEAN Academy in Sri Lanka, a CSR initiative to cultivate ICT talent in addition to the Huawei’s flagship CSR initiative - Seeds for the Future and Joint innovation Labs with leading Universities in Sri Lanka.

As a global multinational Huawei also provides choice of career development paths to local employees to improve and develop their skills and professional career throughout their Huawei journey in their areas of expertise through comprehensive up-to-date on the job training, management training and empowerment programmes.

Huawei has a unique culture with four core values including Customer Centricity, Inspiring Dedication, Perseverance and Growth by Reflection that are driving Huawei forward. On the basis of these core values, Huawei Sri Lanka has defined four core values unique to its Sri Lankan operation which all Huaweiers incorporate in their work at Huawei. Simplicity, Being Focused, Openness and Responsibility are those four core values. In Sri Lanka, Huawei as an organization delivers a commendable and unmatched service as a major contributor to the growth and transformation of the ICT industry. On the basis of these core values, Huawei Sri Lanka has defined four core values unique to its Sri Lankan operation which all our associates incorporate in their work at Huawei. People at Huawei take pride in what they deliver as shared goals being customer centric and always making innovative technological solutions.

Huawei Technologies Lanka is renowned for the continuous people practices the company adopts to take care of its employees. Great Place to Work assessment awards won by Huawei Technologies Lanka prove that all again this year, making to the Best Employers list in Sri Lanka.

Driven by a commitment to sound operations, ongoing innovation, and open collaboration, Huawei has established a competitive ICT portfolio of end-to-end solutions in telecom and enterprise networks, devices, and cloud technology and services across Sri Lanka for over two decades.

Huawei Sri Lanka CEO – Tao Guangyao (Sixth from extreme Left), Kshanika Ratnayaka, Chief Executive Officer - Great Place to Work Institute - Sri Lanka (GPTW), (5th from extreme left) along with officials from Huawei and GPTW.

Image captions : Huaweiers celebrating the achievement ranking among ‘50 Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka in 2022’

GlobalData recently released a report entitled 5G Mobile Core: Competitive Landscape Assessment. The assessment concluded that Huawei 5G Core portfolio is the strongest, rated as the "leader" among all the 5G core solutions and use cases around the world. The score gap between Huawei and No.2 is up to 2.3 times that of 2021, and this is the fourth straight time Huawei 5G Core has been rated as the global leader since 2019.

GlobalData is a world-renowned data analytics and consulting company in the ICT industry. It provides expertise in market research and predictions in addition to vendor analysis. According to the report, higher requirements are posed on network stability, and in turn on network reliability design as more global core networks go cloud and transition to 5G. Facing this trend, how a 5G core network solution performs on live networks is weighed more when evaluating whether it is ready for commercial use.

As 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G Non-Standalone (NSA), and 5G Stand Alone (SA) networks will coexist for a long time, equipment vendors need to provide a 5G core network solution that can facilitate smooth network evolution towards 5G SA and utilize a convergent core network architecture to address the challenges of multiple RATs coexistence, like complex O&M. Moreover, equipment vendors' technical innovation and commercial use progress in autonomous driving network and voice services are also key assessment indicators involved in this report.

Architecture Resilience: Huawei 5G Core was developed based on the telco cloud and microservice-centric architecture. Through the Rock-solid Reliability Advanced solution, Huawei 5G Core helps operators build ultra-reliable, premium networks characterized by hardware fault tolerance, software overload protection, service running as usual upon emergencies, and on-demand in-service upgrade, making services always online.

Solution Maturity: Huawei 5G Core is leading the large-scale commercial use worldwide with stable and reliable live network performance to helping operators quickly develop users and innovate services. Specifically, Huawei 5G Core helps operators replicate 5GtoB innovation projects in large scales. For instance, the Mobile VPN solution has been successfully piloted and put into commercial use in more than 500 enterprises around the world, covering a wide range of scenarios like campus private networks, public services, healthcare, and remote offices.

Network Evolution: Huawei has adopted the Single Packet Core (SPC) and Single Voice Core (SVC) solutions to build a microservice-based, fully convergent data and voice network, which is unique in the industry and can provide services for 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G NSA, and 5G SA subscribers on one network. It also simplifies the networking and O&M and realizes smooth evolution.

Network Automation: Huawei 5G Core also did well in network automation. The company has put forward the autonomous driving network (ADN) solution that relies on the telco cloud. This solution implements high network stability, efficient network change, and optimal network experience and helps lift the ADN level to L4.

With continuous innovation, exploration, and commercial practices of all sectors, 5G industry development has embarked on the fast track, and a robust core network will back up the process. Huawei will continue to further develop and commercialize its 5G Core solution, helping global operators advance the development of their 5GtoC and 5GtoB services and achieve business success.

Image caption: Huawei 5G Core Ranks as Global Leader for Four Consecutive Years

Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd., represented by Chief Executive Officer Abel Deng, today received the “Prime Minister Awards – Thailand Cybersecurity Excellence Award 2022” from the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA), during a ceremony held at the Miracle Grand Convention Hotel in Bangkok. The event was chaired by Mr. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), in the presence of General Prachya Chalermwat, NCSA Secretary General, officials and representatives of both public and private organizations.

This prestigious distinction reflects Huawei Thailand’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and leadership in information security, to raising awareness on cybersecurity and data protection across the country. In the past 12 months, Huawei Thailand joined a series of cybersecurity-related initiatives such as the ‘Thailand National Cyber Week’ and the ‘Cyber Defense Initiative Conference. It collaborated with the NCSA for the ‘Thailand Cyber Top Talents 2021’, the first cyber defense competition of its kind in Thailand that gathered 800 outstanding IT students and personnels.  To reinforce the skills of Thailand’s cybersecurity human resources, Huawei sent a team of Thai representatives to the ‘Cyber SEA Game 2021’ competition that gathered teams from across ASEAN countries. The Thai team bagged the first prize and was named best cybersecurity team in ASEAN.

Earlier this year, a Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) from Huawei Thailand was selected for an executive-level cybersecurity training course. Last March, prior to the implementation of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), the company shared its knowledge with various government agencies as well as the private sector. On August 5, 2022, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NCSA to develop and accelerate cybersecurity skills for Thai IT personnel. Plans are underway for 4,000 trainees spread out over 3 years to benefit from practice-based learning through Huawei’s e-Lab online learning platform with real infrastructure and hands-on cybersecurity workshops, covering the four cyber workforce levels: basic, intermediate, advanced and expert levels.

Thailand’s Cyber Security Awards were created to honor individuals and organizations who make a profound impact on improving the country’s cybersecurity. They are conferred in recognition of their commitment, leadership in their field, and sound business practices and strategies. Huawei Thailand has been recognized for its continuous efforts to address the challenges of new technologies and for updating and sharing its innovative cybersecurity solutions with academic and governmental organizations, as well as private partners.

Mr. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), congratulated Huawei Thailand and commented on the current cooperation with the IT leader on its latest award: "In today’s digital world, cybersecurity and data protection are vital to Thailand’s development and ensure our country’s journey towards Thailand 4.0.  Huawei has been a reliable and dedicated partner, sharing the experience, technologies, and talent cultivation standards it has gained over years of operations.” he said.

General Prachya Chalermwat, Secretary General of the NCSA, said: "Our collaboration with Huawei Thailand, a public-private partnership, is critical in order to establish a globally trusted cyberspace in the country. We are honored to present the Prime Minister Award – Thailand Cybersecurity Excellence Awards to five excellent private companies, including Huawei, as a leading global ICT company and solutions provider. Collaborating with all stakeholders in an open, transparent, and responsible manner will enable everyone to enjoy all the benefits brought by technological advances.”

“It is a great honor and privilege to accept the “Prime Minister Awards – Thailand Cybersecurity Excellence Award 2022” on behalf of Huawei Technologies,” said Mr. Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Thailand, during the award ceremony. “At Huawei, we value long-term partnerships. We continue to collaborate with government organizations, academic institutions and partners who share our vision to bring Thailand to the forefront of the digital age while ensuring the highest possible cybersecurity protection levels. We will continue to help raise awareness and share best security practices and procedures through initiatives such as the ‘Thailand Cyber Top Talents’ and the ‘Cyber SEA Game’ competitions. In line with our policy 'Grow in Thailand, Contribute to Thailand”, we will make every effort possible and use all available resources to help the country move forward to Thailand 4.0 and become a secure digital hub in the Asia Pacific region.”

Image caption: Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Technologies Thailand, proudly accepts the “Prime Minister Award – Thailand Cybersecurity Excellence Award 2022” from Mr. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), in the presence of General Prachya Chalermwat, NCSA Secretary General.

The second agreement with a National University to contribute towards building a talent ecosystem and boosting the development of Sri Lankan ICT Industry

Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Sri Jayewardenepura to build, and nurture local ICT talents through several training programs including certifications, internships, field trainings, and establishing the Huawei ICT Academy and Joint Innovation Lab at the university premises. The agreement will contribute towards building a talent ecosystem and boosting the development of the ICT industry in Sri Lanka.

The MoU was signed by Tao Guangyao, CEO of Huawei Sri Lanka and Senior Prof. Sudantha Liyanage, the Vice Chancellor of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The University officials including Dr. Thilakasiri Bandara - Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Mr. Anurudda Weliwita – Registrar of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Dr. Akila Subasinghe - Former Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Nishan Dharmaweera - HoD, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Dr. Chamitha de Alwis - Former HoD, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Dr. Randima Dinalankara - HoD, Computer Engineering, Dr. Udaya Wijenayake - Senior Lecturer, Computer Engineering, Mr. Sandun Wijayarathne – Lecturer, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Huawei officials including Liam Nixiaopeng – Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Nadun Gunawardana – Director Enterprise Solutions and  Supun Induwara – Engineer, also took part at the event.

The proposed joint innovation lab with the University of Sri Jayewardenepura will further facilitate undergraduate and graduate research, and provide a platform to develop solutions and products for industrial needs and to organize certification courses on advanced ICT technologies. In addition, it will further strengthen ongoing commitments such as industrial training for students.

Senior Prof. Sudantha Liyanage, Vice Chancellor of University of Sri Jayewardenepura said, "As one of the largest and most diverse Universities in Sri Lanka, University of Sri Jayewardenepura is an ideal institution to collaborate with Huawei to empower the Sri Lankan youth and talent with the latest ICT industry skills and knowledge. Such ICT skills will prepare them for the future where digitization and digital transformation will play an increasingly crucial role. As we collaborate with a world leading technology company such as Huawei, we will be able to provide Sri Lankan University students with the necessary exposure to the best technology practices and global experiences in line with the fast-changing technologies.”

Tao Guangyao, CEO of Huawei Sri Lanka, also commented. "We are glad and delighted to be collaborating with a prestigious national university of Sri Lanka, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, as part of our ongoing efforts to empower local ICT talent and support Sri Lanka in its economic transformation efforts, including developing world-class talent for key industries and digital transformation. Through this partnership, we will provide world-class capabilities and advanced technologies to enable future generations to lead the digital transformation journey and advance the economic growth in Sri Lanka.”

He further assured that Huawei is committed to continuously develop high-level information and communications technologies and young talent in Sri Lanka to bridge the gap between the skills and abilities of university graduates and the expectations of businesses with regard to graduates.

Upon setting up of Huawei ICT Academy and Joint Innovation Lab, Huawei experts will be sent to the University of Sri Jayewardenepura to support the implementation of professional technical certification. The training project aims to provide high quality ICT talent for Sri Lanka and the South Asia region to meet the market demands and the challenges of the ICT industry.

University of Sri Jayewardenepura stands strong with ten (10) faculties, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Dental Sciences and its latest addition, the Faculty of Urban and Aquatic Bioresources and home to over 12,000 undergraduates, and over 1000 postgraduate students. The University is currently in the process of establishing the Faculty of Computing as its 11^th Faculty.  It is considered the largest university in terms of Student Population in Sri Lanka. The university is also in the forefront of research and innovation in Sri Lanka with a research council of over 20 research centers and an Invention, Innovation and Venture Creation Council with over 50 entrepreneurs and stakeholders with over 15 patents. The university strives to give its students an international experience, offering student exchange programmes and internships and continue to maintain cordial relationships with many international bodies of education and have signed over 60 MoUs with recognized internationally acclaimed universities; and over 60 MoUs with established international and local companies.

In Sri Lanka, Huawei has been operating for 20 years and has cooperated extensively and in-depth with major local telecommunications operators, governments and industry customers. Over the years, Huawei has continuously promoted the development of the ICT talent ecosystem in Sri Lanka through activities such as the Huawei Seeds for the Future program which was launched in 2016, and offers internships for talented young people and ICT Skills industrial training. Further in 2020 Huawei’s cooperation followed by a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Moratuwa to establish a joint innovation laboratory and ICT Academy which was opened in 2021, and collaboration with National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) for opening of NAITA-Huawei ICT Academy for Vocational Training, aims at skilling 300+ passionate youth annually, with knowledge and practice as on-site telecom engineers.

Officials from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Huawei Sri Lanka at the signing of MoU to strengthen digital talent development and setup Joint Innovation Lab

Photo caption : Vice Chancellor of University of Sri Jayewardenepura Senior Prof. Sudantha Liyanage (Third from Left) exchanging the signed MoU with CEO of Huawei Sri Lanka Tao Guangyao (Fourth From Left), with the University officials including Former Dean - Faculty of Engineering - Dr. Akila Subasinghe (Extreme Left) , Dean - Faculty of Engineering - Dr. Thilaksiri Bandara, and Huawei officials including Deputy Chief Executive Officer - Liam Nixiaopeng (Fifth from Left),   Director Enterprise Solutions - Nadun Gunawardana are also present.

Introduction

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis yet since the country’s independence and new dynamics continue to unfold in the island nation every day. Government as well as the private sector are taking multiple measures to manage the impact of economic recession. In the current environment of a worsening economy, digitization can play an important role in assisting policymakers to spur economic growth and employment.

As per a study by PWC, countries can harness these varying effects of digitization through three main measures, which go beyond their current roles of setting policy and regulations. First, counties should create digitization plans for targeted sectors in which they wish to maximize the impact of digitization. Second, they should encourage the development of the necessary capabilities and enablers to achieve these digitization plans. Finally, policymakers should work in concert with industry, consumers, and government agencies to establish an Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) ecosystem that encourages greater uptake and usage of digital services.

ICT talent cultivation will play an important role in development of the necessary capabilities and enablers to achieve these digitization plans.

Huawei in Building Digital Eco System

Over the past 30 years, Huawei has become a key player in the countries’ digital transformation journey. Under the mission of "In Sri Lanka, for SriLanka", Huawei is committed to becoming a key contributor to the digital economy in Sri Lanka. And Huawei continue to invest on innovation to build a better green digital life in the country from three aspects.

As digitalization speeds up, there is also a stronger demand for digital talent. A Korn Ferry research finds that Asia Pacific is facing an imminent labor shortage of 47 million people by 2030 and an annual opportunity cost of US$4.238 trillion. According to PwC’s 20th CEO Survey, more than 50% of APAC CEOs say it’s difficult to hire digital talent with the right skills.

Since 2019, Huawei has invested heavily in developing local digital talent in Sri Lanka. This includes multiple programs which includes ICT academy Program, Seeds for the Future as well as Huawei ICT Competition Program.

Huawei with its Flagship ICT Academy Program now launched four Academic institutes in the country benefiting more than 5,000 students. Huawei ICT Academy is a partnership between Huawei and Academies around the world. Through this partnership, Academy delivers Huawei ICT technologies training, encourages students to get Huawei certification, and develops talents with practical skills for the ICT industry and the community.

The ICT Academy Program focused on collaborating with Leading Universities to cultivate innovative talents as well as working together with vocational colleges to contribute and enhance vocational education and training for the youth in the IT and telecommunication sector with NVQ level skills.

In 2020 Huawei opened two state of Art ICT innovation laboratories in University of Moratuwa and General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University part of the ICT academy program. In 2022 Huawei plans to setup two more such Labs and recently Huawei signed and MoU with the University of Sri Jayewardenepura as the 3^rd University established an ICT academy in Sri Lanka.

The objectives of this programs cover wide scope starting from providing comprehensive certification on cutting edge ICT technologies, encouraging students to use the facilities for their academic researches and industry collaborations by providing software and hardware required for ICT application and development, encouraging students to innovate in areas such as 5G, AI, the cloud, and other cutting-edge technologies.

In addition, Huawei engage with these universities providing resources to conduct webinars and guest lectures. Furthermore, Huawei is planning to use the resources to enable universities to conduct such training programs not only for students but also for the industry by providing Teachers Training programs on the ICT technologies.

The University ICT academy program provides certifications in Multiple domains which includes high demand ICT technologies such as Networking and Data center technologies, Telecommunication domains that includes 4G, Fiber communication, etc. and Emerging technologies like 5G, IoT, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. Huawei offers three levels of certification: Huawei Certified ICT Associate (HCIA), Huawei Certified ICT Professional (HCIP), and Huawei Certified ICT Expert (HCIE).

Meanwhile, to leave no one behind in the digital world, Huawei Sri Lanka in collaboration with National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) established and ICT Academy for Vocational Training. The initiative aims skilling 300+ passionate youth annually, with knowledge and practice as on-site telecom technicians. The program focuses on contribute and enhance vocational education and training for the youth in the telecommunication sector with hardware installation skills.

In addition, in 2021 Huawei held it first ICT competition program in Sri Lanka with a participation of more than 10 universities in Sri Lanka. The Huawei ICT Competition is intended for students in higher education institutions that are willing to join the ICT Academy worldwide. Through this competition, Huawei aims to provide students with a platform to compete healthily and exchange ideas, thus enhancing their ICT knowledge and practical skills as well as increasing their ability to innovate by using new technologies and platforms.

Seeds for the Future is another significant program Huawei was conducting in Sri Lanka with aims to develop skilled, local ICT talent and bridge communication between countries and cultures. Each year under the Seeds for the Future, Huawei brings together young global talents from top universities to a free of charge, mind-blowing and life-changing exchange program in China. There, they explore Huawei’s cutting-edged ICT, experience traditional and modern Chinese culture, and hone their professional development. This year, Huawei in cooperation with the ASEAN Foundation launched the extended version of the CSR programme - Huawei Asia-Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 to empower more regional talent development in the Asia Pacific region. This brings together world-class undergraduate students from 14 countries including Thailand and Sri Lanka for 8 days of ICT training and mentoring that will be held first time in recent years on-site in Bangkok.

Towards Digital Future

Sri Lanka has long dreamt of going digital with its basic needs so that the convenience of it is felt by the general public and talent development has been identifies as key need. But these endeavors cannot be successful without strong cooperation and strong commitment from all sectors to build a competitive ICT talent pool. As digital becomes a part of all of our lives, all stake holders shall be prepared and willing to play an important role in cultivating digital talents. And both public and Private sector together with academic institutions shall jointly enhance capabilities of the digital workforce and create the technological knowledge necessary to achieve a leap forward. This will be an important mechanism for the economic and social development of the region, looking ahead.

Huawei state of art ICT lab in University of Moratuwa was established Providing students the access for cutting edge technologies and also creating a modern environment for students to focus on learning and research.

Huawei Senior engineers conducting a Session to KDU university student on “Women in Networking” supporting the effort of bridging the gender gap of ICT education.

Huawei Certification covers a broad range of ICT technologies and committed to providing leading talent development system and certification standards, developing new ICT professionals in the digital era and building a healthy ICT talent ecosystem.

NAITA-Huawei ICT Academy in Orugodawatta, contribute to enhance vocational education and training for the youth with knowledge and practice of principles as On-site Telecommunication Engineers, including Wireless and Datacom Hardware Installation, Environment Health and Safety (EHS) and quality improvement

Image caption : Huawei signs memorandum of understanding with University of Sri Jayewardenepura August 2022 to strengthen digital talent building and setup Joint Innovation Lab. University of Sri Jayewardenepura is the 3^rd University become an Huawei ICT academy.

About Author: Nadun Gunawardana is the Solutions Director for Enterprise Business at Huawei Technologies Lanka Company Private Limited and Leads the ICT academy program on behalf of Huawei Sri Lanka.

Last Friday, Huawei launched Asia Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 in collaboration with ASEAN Foundation and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). From August 19 to 27, the program will bring together 120 outstanding students from 16 countries including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Phillipines across the Asia Pacific region for a 9-day digital boot camp in Thailand. The participants will get immersed in technologies and cross- cultural experiences, and propose technical solutions to address social problems through Tech4Good projects. 56 of the 120 participants this year are women, making the 2022 cohort the most gender-balanced in the region since the program initiated in 2008.

Asia Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 marks the first time the program is held since Huawei and ASEAN Foundation signed an MoU on scaling it up in 2021. The TAT will also contribute significantly to this year's program by hosting the participants on a cultural tour of Bangkok. Together, these organizations hope to create a synergy that will deliver an unparalleled experience to the participants.

The opening ceremony was attended by both local government officials and representatives of multiple international organizations. Speakers at the event highlighted the important role multi-party collaboration plays in creating a solid foundation for the region's digital talent ecosystem.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit said at the event: “I am very pleased to preside over the opening ceremony of Huawei Seeds for the Future in the Asia-Pacific region in 2022, hosted in Thailand, and I would like to thank Huawei for organizing such a wonderful project. At present, the public and private sectors are working together to increase ICT personnel in order to keep up with changing trends. Personally, I believe that co-training with leading specialized companies such as Huawei will greatly enhance the quality of the education and is an excellent step for advancing digital development with the goal of strengthening the economy to international levels."

Secretary-General of ASEAN, H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi stressed that digital talent will be the driving force in the construction of a Digital ASEAN: “The private sector can play a pioneering role in realising this vision. In this regard, I commend Huawei Asia Pacific’s initiative: Seeds for the Future Program. This project underscores the long-term commitment of Huawei to collaborate and prepare the ASEAN youth for the changing world of work and industry’s demands. I also commend the Huawei ASEAN Academy for working with local stakeholders to train 23,465 ICT professionals from Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia. I hope that such efforts could also be extended to the other ASEAN Member States.” In Asia Pacific, advanced digital talent cultivation is typically conducted through joint projects run by governments, academia, and private tech providers. The ASEAN Academy and Seeds for the Future are examples of such projects.

Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation, Dr. Ms. Yang Mee Eng said: “The growth of ASEAN Digital Economy is entirely dependent on the capability of the region’s young people to participate in it. To nurture a generation of digitally savvy and innovative problem solvers, it is pivotal for stakeholders of ASEAN to create a robust learning ecosystem that allows our youth to advance their digital skills.” She believes that this event is yet another success of the ASEAN Foundation–Huawei partnership which is committed to creating a learning ecosystem focusing on talent development that will help address the digital skills shortage in the region.

President of Huawei Asia Pacific Mr. Simon Lin reiterated Huawei's own commitment to talent development: "The 'seeds' represent hope, passion, and future. As the corporate-level flagship CSR project with the longest history, this program has been brought to nearly 140 countries and regions, reaching over 12,000 students from 500 universities. The ‘Seeds’ have grown to a global ‘forest’.” “Digitalization is the driving force for our future. Talent is the key to digital transformation and sustainable growth. We deeply believe that the young generation will grow as the constructors of Asia Pacific when pursuing their tech-dreams.” Simon Lin added.

H.E. Dr. Ms. Dipu Moni, Minister of Education of Bangladesh, spoke on how digital talent can bridge historical gender gaps: “It is increasingly important that we include our female students to STEM-based learning and creating an equal opportunity for them to grow. Seeds for the Future seems very sincere to that. We are excited to have five excellent female young professionals from Bangladesh joining the camp, and I believe their success will empower more women to contribute to Bangladesh's digital economy.”

Asia Pacific Seeds for the future 2022 is not only about knowledge learning but also about how to transform ideas into initiatives and projects that will provide a decent, quality, and happy life for all. Deputy Minister of Education of Thailand Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich agreed that “The Seeds for the Future program is important for students interested in ICT and digital technologies as it fills the gap between theory and practice. The Ministry of Education envisions a greater focus on morals and ethics, whereas education should also emphasize digital skills. This is regarded as the most significant development in the Thai education sector; boosting the quality of education, in all forms, to advance education to a global level.”

Deputy Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Culture of Thailand Mr. Krisada Kongkajan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Lao PDR to ASEAN Mr. Sengpraarthid Snookphone , ITU Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Ms. Atsuko Okuda, and UNESCO Chief of Section for Educational Innovation and Skills Development Mr. Libing Wang all acknowledged that this is a great platform for regional youth exchange and expressed their best wishes to the students on their journey of 2022 Asia Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022.

The program was jointly launched by ASEAN Foundation's Executive Director Dr. Yang Mee Eng, the TAT's Deputy Governor for Digitization Research and Development Mr. Nithee Seeprae, President of Huawei Asia Pacific Mr. Simon Lin and Huawei Thailand CEO Mr. Abel Deng. Participants were also awarded Ambassador Certificates from the TAT. The opening ceremony was ended with 16 Seeds representatives performing a song “Dream it Possible” together in their own languages.

From today, they would embark on a cultural and digital journey filled with site visits including the United Nations Regional Hub in Bangkok, the Metaverse Expo, and the Grand Palace in Bangkok. At the same time, the participants will be provided training in cutting- edge technologies like 5G, AI, and cloud computing from industry-leading experts.

During the digital camp, the participants will be expected to team up and create a "Tech4Good" pitch where they will share their visions for a better digital world. The winning teams will be given a place in an accelerator camp in Singapore that will be held from August 29 to September 4. This camp will give them the opportunity to meet top-notch entrepreneurs and investors and further develop their initiatives and bring their ideas to the market.

Seeds for the Future is Huawei's flagship Corporate Social Responsibility program that brings together young talent from top universities around the world. The program was launched in Thailand in 2008 to inspire ICT talent and encourage them to tackle social challenges with digital solutions. As of the end of 2021, the program had been implemented in 137 countries and regions, reaching 12,000 students from over 500 universities.

H.E. Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand

H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN

Dr. Ms. Yang Mee Eng, Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation

Mr. Simon Lin, President of Huawei Asia Pacific

Photo captions:  Seeds representatives were awarded Ambassador Certificates by TAT.

Top University Talents from Sri Lanka leave to Thailand for ICT Training

Huawei in cooperation with Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka on recently,and announced the launching of Huawei Asia-Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 programme with young university talents selected to take the ICT training in Thailand. The launching ceremony was graced with Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha, Country Focal Point for Sri Lanka, UNESCO Cluster Office - Himali Jinadasa, Huawei Sri Lanka CEO - Tao Guangyao at the Ministry of Education with university students and the officials from Huawei and the Ministry.

Seeds for the Future is Huawei's global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) flagship program as well as the longest-lasting initiative among CSR initiatives around the world that aims to develop skilled local ICT talent, enhance knowledge transfer, and promote a greater understanding with interest in the telecommunications sector.  The initiative also encourage regional building and participation in the digital community and bridge communication between countries and cultures.

This year in 2022 Huawei, in cooperation with the ASEAN Foundation launched extended version of the CSR programme - Huawei Asia-Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 to empower more regional talent development in the Asia Pacific region. This brings together world-class undergraduate students from 14 countries including Thailand and Sri Lanka for 8 days of ICT training and mentoring that will be held first time in recent years on-site in Bangkok. The programme will be held from 19th-28th August 2022 and second part in Singapore from 28th August-4th September 2022 for selected winning participants.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha said that “The recent events that took place in world has served as an early call to address the knowledge and digital divide and inequalities within and across countries in their future generations and that skills and talent development in education is one of most of important policies countries such as Sri Lanka should focus on”. He highlighted the importance of bridging the knowledge and skills gap divide in meeting the ever challenging global talent market”.

“I’m indeed delighted to see Huawei has been actively participating in the development of the ICT skills and talent development as well as infrastructure in Sri Lanka continuously improving the country’s ICT sector.  I believe Huawei’s continuation of The “Seeds for the Future” program is a significant effort to enhance bilateral cooperation and increase people-to-people exchanges; and essential to youth generation of Sri Lanka. This is an excellent opportunity to explore the digital skills and applications and take their learning into exciting new areas of ICT” Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha added.

CEO Huawei Sri Lanka Tao Guangyao speaking at the event said that “ICT talent is one of the key elements for the success of digitalization and economic prosperity of the country. Huawei believe it is important to introduce the latest technologies to the young talents, support their efforts in gaining the new knowledge and experience. With Seeds for the Future our vision is to inspire the global talent to shape the future. So I believe that the opportunity given to talented people like you sitting here today can stay inspired and light up the future of the world”.

“As Huawei we are always committed to cultivating upskill and improving the competitiveness of the university youth” Huawei CEO Tao Guangyao said. He also thanked the Government of Sri Lanka, and the Ministry of Education for continuous support extended towards Huawei to expand the ICT talent and skills development of the country.

Seeds for the Future was globally launched in 2008 by Huawei, then followed by a MOU with the Government of Sri Lanka for ICT cooperation in 2016 the CSR programme in Sri Lanka was first launched in the same year. Since then each year 10 University talents were fully sponsored to China for ICT and culture trip and training. During the height of the Pandemic period the programme was held online. Now in its 7th year in operation, to date with this year’s university talents, 80 Sri Lanka university students have been benefited from the Seeds for the Future in Sri Lanka.

Huawei has more than 30 years’ experience in the ICT industry across the world, and over two decades experience in Sri Lanka, and company. The programme is one of several initiatives by Huawei geared toward nurturing talent for South Asian region and Sri Lankan youth. Other initiatives such as, Huawei ASEAN Academy in Sri Lanka - a long-term CSR initiative to cultivate ICT talents, the NAITA-Huawei ICT Academy, ICT Competitions and joint innovation labs with Sri Lankan universities, had enabled many youth in Sri Lanka to benefit from an advanced skills development launched by Huawei in recent years. These initiatives equip the youth with the necessary skills required to contribute to Sri Lanka’s future digital transformation, socio-economic development and national plans and visions.

Photo Caption : The University Talents selected for Huawei’s Asia Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 with Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha (Seated in Middle) and Huawei Sri Lanka CEO Tao Guangyao (Third from Left), Director Huawei Public Affairs Christophe Lee (Seated from Extreme Left), Country Focal Point for Sri Lanka - UNESCO Cluster Office - Himali Jinadasa, Strategic Advisor Huawei Sri Lanka Indika De Zoysa and Manager Public Affairs Jithendra Antonio