Huawei has signed a global commitment to join the International Telecommunication Union's Partner2Connect digital alliance. This initiative will bring connectivity to about 120 million people in remote areas in more than 80 countries by 2025.
Liang Hua, Chairman of Huawei, announced the decision at the company's 2022 Sustainability Forum, Connectivity+: Innovate for Impact. The forum explored how ICT innovation could unleash the business and social value of connectivity and drive sustainability in the digital economy era.
Mustafa Jabbar, Minister of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications Division, Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh joined the event online along with senior leaders from the ITU and United Nations, telecom ministers and regulators in Cambodia, Nigeria, and Pakistan, and business leaders, partners, experts, and customers from China, South Africa, Belgium, and Germany. Journalists from different countries also joined the event physically and online.
In the keynote address, Dr Liang stressed that access to a stable network was a basic requirement and right in the digital age. For many who remain unconnected, access to reliable connectivity would mark the first step towards transforming their lives.
"Connectivity will be more than just a tool for convenient communications," he said. "Together with digital technologies like cloud and AI, connectivity will help bring everyone into the digital world, and provide them with access to more information and skills, better services, and wider business opportunities. This will, in turn, drive further social and economic development."
Mustafa Jabbar, Minister of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications Division, said at the event, “We are moving ahead with a new vision for 2041 titled ‘Smart Bangladesh’. The primary objective of the telecommunications industry is to connect the whole population Bangladesh. We understand that connectivity is the key to every success whether it is the education, industrial or textile sector. Hence, we strongly believe that under the leadership of our Honorable Prime Minister and with the cooperation of all partners, the vision of 2041 will eventually become a reality.”
Siddharth Chatterjee, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China, called for "multi-stakeholder partnerships" of policymakers, the private sector, academia, and civil society to close "the sobering reality" of a digital divide which excluded a third of the global population.
"Our dynamic world urgently needs improved digital cooperation to capitalize on the transformational potential of technology to create new jobs, boost financial inclusion, close the gender gap, spur a green recovery and redesign our world to be more prosperous and inclusive," he said. "Now is the time to act".
Cao Ming, President of Huawei Wireless Solution, said: "Huawei integrates the full-technology innovation potential of equipment, sites, energy, transmission, and antennas to address the difficulties faced by traditional site deployment. We have continuously upgraded the RuralStar and RuralLink solutions to extend quality coverage to remote areas, enabling more people, community hospitals, schools, local governments, and small- and medium-sized enterprises to enjoy the same high-speed broadband connectivity experiences as those in cities".