Dünya – The world’s largest maker of telecommunications equipment is planning to expand its operations in Türkiye to include hardware manufacturing, according to Huawei Regional Director Sun Ming. Already engaged in research and development (R&D) activities in Türkiye, the company is the main supplier of Türkiye’s cellular operators’ third generation networks.
“Unlike Europe and, for the most part, China, Türkiye offers a large and unsaturated market that is suitable for expansion and new investments. There is a growing need for advanced technologies in sectors such as banking, transportation, public projects, software development and energy, presenting huge opportunities for Huawei”, the Huawei executive said, adding that the company’s R&D center in Istanbul was taking part in the company’s global product development efforts. “Huawei Türkiye exported over USD 17 million worth of software products last year.”, Ming noted.
Speaking of the company’s future plans regarding Türkiye, Ming said that Türkiye’s large-scale public projects, such as the nationwide education initiative, the Fatih Project, which involves the procurement of high-tech teaching equipment for all public schools and students, necessitated local production and that the company was taking steps in that direction. “We are evaluating our options in the manufacturing of chips, chipsets and whole system platforms with a local partner. Huawei has directly and indirectly contributed to the Fatih Project, supplying network equipment for over 3300 schools throughout Türkiye.”, Ming remarked.
Active in the country for over a decade, the Chinese company is utilizing Türkiye’s key location to manage its business in Central Asia and the Caucasus region, covering 11 countries from its regional headquarters in Istanbul. Employing over 500 engineers and support staff in Türkiye, Huawei opened its second largest R&D center outside China in Istanbul in 2009 that focuses on software solutions for the company’s global markets.