A New Era for Brazil's Digital Economy Powered by ICT Innovation

Speech by Huawei Chairman Dr. Howard Liang

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

Thank you for joining us here today. It is my great pleasure to come to Brazil again as Huawei celebrates our first 20 years in this great country.

20 years ago, Huawei was quick to recognize the enormous potential of Brazil. Today I would like to tell you about Huawei's work in Brazil – past, present, and future. I will also share some insights from Huawei about current industry trends and opportunities.

It's incredible to think that 20 years have already passed. We are In Brazil, For Brazil. This isn't just a slogan for us. We have set down roots in Brazil, and we work hard to grow the industry and the ecosystem here.

Huawei has worked with telecom operators to connect more than two-thirds of the population of Brazil. We deployed the first high-speed optical fiber network in the Amazon, connecting more than 20 cities and benefiting millions of people.

We helped Brazil's government and public institutions go digital. In Recife and Manaus, we implemented a "Cloud Data Center Project". At the same time, we are actively involved in Brazil's efforts to build an e-government cloud. We also work with customers in finance, energy, manufacturing, and other industries to help them go digital faster.

On anniversaries like this, I always like to think back to past achievements. I think a few people here might enjoy watching the World Cup, am I right?

Well, we provide strong network assurances for major sports competitions and events. These include the World Cup four years ago, the Olympics two years ago, and the excitement of each year's Carnival of Brazil.

We are always there when Brazil needs us. The people of Brazil love sports. And we love making those events possible through secure and reliable networks.

Actually, it isn't easy to organize communications for a large sports event. Just think of how many people are relying on those systems to enjoy the game! You need to deploy over one hundred types of equipment.

Our expert teams work closely with customers day and night on-site during events. Their efforts ensure that audiences can enjoy events like the World Cup and the Olympics without any interruption whatsoever. We help ensure the events can be fully enjoyed.

All of that is to say, Huawei has been rooted in Brazil for 20 years. We have experienced a lot of unforgettable moments over the years. Those moments are now part of our DNA here in Brazil.

Technology is changing our world faster than ever before. The digital economy is growing, and we can expect to see ICT solutions and infrastructure take on a much more prominent role in society.

But what are the major trends in technology? I think there are three trends: 1) everything is going to the cloud; 2) all "things" will become sensing and connected; 3) enterprises are beginning to truly leverage the value of data through digitalization. Let me talk more about these.

The first trend is that everything is going to the cloud, which we call "All-Cloud". There are now a huge number of industry clouds. We predict that by 2025, the majority of enterprise IT solutions will be on the cloud. All enterprises will be using cloud technology. And over 85% of enterprise applications will be deployed on the cloud.

There are still enormous opportunities for the development of cloud and cloud services. I'm thinking about things like 4k video and virtual reality. It is important to give these opportunities strategic attention. But it is also important to find ways to effectively implement solutions.

The second trend is that everything will be connected and all things will be able to sense. People to people, people to things, and things to things – everything will be connected.

This includes public services, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and finance. If you think about this trend, it quickly becomes clear that Brazil is facing a great opportunity. Industry digitalization has enormous space for development.

The third trend is that enterprises are now really starting to leverage the value of data. Some industries are doing better data analytics, and getting more value in return.

For example, in the healthcare field, they are using tiny devices to collect information about people's health and monitor their condition in real time. The healthcare sector is truly going digital.

Another example is Safe Cities, where data can be used for police dispatch, road safety, and other tasks.

In Smart City projects, there is intelligent traffic control and smart power grids. Industries are constantly improving data, algorithms, and computing power to make these solutions even better.

Looking to the future, changes in digital technology and the digital economy mean we need to think differently about how industries (and even our own companies) are organized.

I mention these three trends today because Huawei works hard to create value for our customers. Huawei is extremely customer-centric. We are always exploring, and always innovating. And we want to achieve shared success with everyone in the ecosystem.

There is no doubt that industries will be significantly changed by these trends in technology. We need to work together to face the challenges and seize the enormous opportunities for economic and social development.

So far, I have talked about Huawei's past and present in Brazil. I have also mentioned a few trends Huawei is following in ICT, and the opportunities those trends present.

Looking ahead, Huawei has great hopes and opportunities for the future in Brazil.

First, we will help Brazil to go digital with ICT infrastructure. We can help telecom operators become more efficient and increase ROI. We will do this by helping them deploy all-optical networks across the country. We are building a fully connected, intelligent world based on 4.5G and 5G networks.

Second, Huawei focuses on digital technologies like cloud, 5G, big data, and AI. This includes building ICT infrastructure platforms. We will continue to develop open trusted cloud platforms for customers, and build the ecosystem in line with the trends I mentioned earlier.

Third, Huawei works closely with local research institutions, universities, and partners in Brazil. The business environment is very important to Huawei. Our ecosystem partners in Brazil across all industries can innovate and grow in the robust business environment that Huawei creates. We hope to establish a system of value creation and sharing across the entire value chain.

Huawei has built a partnership with Inatel, the National Institute of Communications of Brazil, working with them to establish a competence and innovation center called CIDC.

This center provides recommendations to Brazilian telecom operators regarding network development, and has provided training to more than 30,000 local ICT professionals in Brazil.

We have partnered with TIM and OI to build joint innovation centers dedicated to the development of LTE and NFV.

We are also working with local industry organizations to support the development of standards and specifications, building an ecosystem that thrives on shared success.

The future is bright for Brazil. I am proud to be here today. And Huawei is proud to be part of Brazil's ongoing success. Together with our customers, partners, and other stakeholders, we will bring digital to every person, home and organization in Brazil for a fully connected, intelligent world. Thank you!