Huawei Doubles-Down on Canadian Investment + Partnership With Three Major Commitments
Release of Huawei 5G Smartphone, ICT training for Canadians, and support of Ottawa floods all in spotlight at event in Markham
TORONTO, May 7, 2019 /CNW/ - Huawei Canada announced three new commitments to bring the next generation 5G mobile network to Canada and support our economy and communities in which we work. The announcements included:
- By 2020, Huawei Canada will provide Information and Communications Technology (ICT) training to over 1,000 Canadians. This new commitment will be under the Huawei Authorized Learning Partner (HALP) program and other similar initiatives implemented across Canada.
- By late 2019, Huawei Canada will release its first 5G-ready smartphone for the Canadian market.
- Beginning immediately, a donation of $100,000 will be put towards Ottawa flood relief in partnership with United Way Ottawa. Huawei employees in Ottawa also have the option of taking paid days off in order to volunteer for flood relief and cleanup efforts. Huawei Canada employs hundreds of people in Ottawa.
Eric Li, President of Huawei Canada addressed media and partners in attendance at a product event (Digital Transformation Forum) held at Huawei Canada's headquarters in Markham, Ontario.
He said: "We are incredibly proud and humbled by the work we have accomplished in Canada over the last 10 years. With a team of over 1,100 employees from coast to coast – 600 of whom are engineers – we have the best and the brightest Canadian minds and we will continue to invest in training for the Canadian marketplace. Canada is the home of Huawei 5G and we are working to ensure we remain at the forefront of 5G technology and development."
Speaking at the event about the upcoming smartphone launch, Kevin Li, President of Consumer Business Group, Huawei Canada said: "In Q4 2019, Huawei will release a new smartphone to the Canadian market. This smartphone will be 4G and 5G ready, making it the first 5G-ready phone released by Huawei in Canada. You can expect more such announcements from us in the coming months as we move into the 5G era."
5G technology applications were featured at the demo-day, including:
- 5G equipment – provides higher bandwidth for faster and better service to Canadians
- Connected Drones – essential in situations that require urgent and real-time analysis like search + rescue in disaster response or monitoring in hard-to-reach areas
- Internet of Things (IoT) Applications – Smart Agriculture – monitoring and tracking to help protect crops and optimize yields
- Internet of Things (IoT) Applications – Connected Vineyard – detection of environmental changes to protect crops and stop damage
- Internet of Things (IoT) Applications – Smart Tracker – multiple devices to track and monitor health signs like temperature and heartbeat
- Cloud Mixed and Virtual Reality – like being at a concert or trekking a mountain, this latest VR connects to the cloud and is entirely wireless
- Huawei 5G-ready smartphone – interoperable between 4G and 5G networks, ready for when 5G comes to Canada
- WiFi 6 – the next generation of the Wi-Fi standard, introducing key 5G technologies. Comparatively, Wi-Fi 6 increases network bandwidth and the number of concurrent users by four-fold over Wi-Fi 5, reducing the average network latency from 30 milliseconds to 20 milliseconds.
"Cyber security is very important to Huawei," said Olivera Zatezalo, Chief Security Officer, Huawei Canada. "Every year, Huawei spends 5% of its R&D budget on cyber security. This is a crucial company strategy and demonstrates Huawei's commitment to expanding and refining a robust compliance system to ensure we abide by all applicable laws and regulations in Canada. Huawei has a clean 30-year record in cyber security globally, and we have built – and will continue to invest in – end-to-end global cyber security assurance systems. We have been in Canada since 2008, and have been working with Canadian government and carriers to introduce a comprehensive security review program."
"We are entering an intelligent, connected era," said Huawei Canada CTO Robert Backhouse. "As an industry, we're at the threshold of enormous opportunity. Not only will Canadians benefit from faster and more reliable connections, it will also provide the bandwidth needed to create what's being called the Internet of Things. 5G will enable the smart future; from smart cities, autonomous vehicles, to improved rural broadband and immersive cloud connected experiences."
Ottawa floods relief and cleanup efforts
"As hundreds of people affected by spring floods in Eastern Ontario look ahead to the long-term recovery that is necessary to bring their communities back to normal, we are grateful to Huawei Canada for being the first company to reach out to United Way and offer support to Ottawa and other affected communities," says Mark Taylor, VP of Resource Development at United Way Ottawa. "This gift, and Huawei's commitment to collaborating with us over the long term, will help residents navigate the difficulties of recovering from a natural disaster of this magnitude, so they feel supported every step of the way."
For the latest information about Huawei in Canada, please visit: www.huawei.ca
About Huawei
Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With integrated solutions across four key domains – telecom networks, IT, smart devices, and cloud services – we are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.
Huawei's end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure. Through open collaboration with ecosystem partners, we create lasting value for our customers, working to empower people, enrich home life, and inspire innovation in organizations of all shapes and sizes.
At Huawei, innovation focuses on customer needs. We invest heavily in basic research, concentrating on technological breakthroughs that drive the world forward. We have more than 188,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.
Huawei Canada has been in Canada since 2008 and employs over 1,100 people. Huawei Canada ranks 22nd overall amongst all corporate R&D investors in 2017.
For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on:
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SOURCE Huawei Canada
Media Contact: Alex Benac, [email protected], 416-413-4583
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