With the aim to focus on business from government's Smart Cities program and growing digitization of Indian enterprises, Chinese ICT firm, Huawei said it was opening its OpenLab in India. The senior executive told TechObserver.in that, the new centre in India will function as an incubating hub for Huawei's India and global market.
“The OpenLab Delhi marks a new step in our commitment and collaboration with India which began more than 18 years ago. It is going to pave the way for a more rapid development of a new “Smart Nation” offering various type services to its citizens,” said Jay Chen, CEO, Huawei India.
The company informed that over the next 3 years, it will be investing $23 million jointly in its OpenLabs in India and Thailand. “These facilities will provide platforms for customers and partners to innovate together using Huawei's ICT capabilities and India's local talent,” said Chen.
Built as a part of Huawei's Global OpenLab Program, the OpenLab Delhi is the 12th facility globally. Located at Huawei India's Gurugram headquarters, the facility will serve as an open, flexible, and secure platform for joint innovation with customers and partners.
“With this OpenLab, Huawei looks to serve India as well as global partners and customers leveraging its global expertise, talents, technologies, and customer business successes. We will also be providing training and certification to Indian ICT talent in latest technologies at the OpenLab Delhi,” said Derek Hao, President, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei India.
Huawei OpenLab to offer ICT training
The company also said that OpenLab Delhi will offer ICT training to nearly 400 personnel per year, provide ICT Career Certification to 250 engineers per year, and Proof of Concept Training to nearly 100 engineers annually.
Huawei said it will partner with System Integrators (SI), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs), and Consultants for its OpenLab in India.
Huawei asserted that compared to traditional technology-centric labs, Huawei OpenLab Delhi will be market-oriented, and aim to develop hardware and software services as well as solutions based on customers' requirements during their digital transformation.
Designed and conceptualized to enable access to visitors to witness and experience the solution demonstration area, the OpenLab Delhi will be connected to Huawei's global OpenLab network allowing a universal exchange of ideas about new business models, market needs, and technical solutions. It will operate through four functional centers: Partner development center, solution joint innovation center, talent training and certification center, and industry experience center.
Up until the Q3 of this year, Huawei said it has opened 12 OpenLabs focused on enterprise customers: they are in Delhi (Gurgaon), Bangkok, Singapore, Munich, Paris, Dubai, Istanbul, Mexico City, Cairo, Johannesburg, Moscow and Suzhou (China) which are facilitating joint innovation and solution launches with more than 700 partners across Smart City, finance, transportation, energy, manufacturing and media sectors.
“In the future, Huawei will invest in its OpenLab program to have more than 20 facilities globally. Over the next three years, Huawei will allocate nearly 1,000 talents around the world and invest a total of $200 million in the program,” said the company.
Huawei has also rolled out its Developer Enablement Plan for the SEA region. Over the next three years, Huawei will invest $81 million in building OpenLabs, enabling cloud developers, and cultivating ICT talent in the Southeast Asia region.
