Chinese technology companies' development in Africa

Huawei

Chinese telecommunications and electronics giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has been working in Africa for 17 years. Huawei has deployed more than half the wireless base stations in Africa, over 70 percent of the LTE high-speed mobile broadband network and more than 50,000 kilometers of communication optical fibers.

The company has trained more than 30,000 professionals in information and communication technology in seven training centers of Africa.

Mao Dun, sales director at Huawei Technologies, told people.com that Africa, with its large population and immature market, has huge potential. Huawei says it can help less-developed regions save time and money in network access.

Huawei is in negotiations with Egypt's Ministry of Investment to establish a factory for assembling smartphones within the Suez Canal Area, the Egypt Daily News reported on Feb 2. The report cited the senior manager of the Public Relations and Government Affairs Department at Huawei Egypt, Hala Aranda. The factory would target Africa and Arab countries, the report stated.

Huawei has become the biggest smartphone maker in China.

ZTE

ZTE Corp, a leading Chinese provider of telecom equipment and network services, has worked in Africa for 20 years. It was the first Chinese telecommunications enterprise that entered Africa's market. Its products and services cover 54 African countries.

ZTE constructed communications networks for more than 48 Africa countries, and company officials say they are working to develop third and the fourth generation mobile telecommunications technologies in Africa.

ZTE has built more than 1,900 kilometers of communication optical fibers in South Africa, and provided over 2,300 jobs to local people, the company says.

ZTE is planning to double its market share in Africa in several years, to 20 percent. ZTE is working with the South African multinational MTN Group in developing its African markets.

Xiaomi

Beijing-based smartphone maker Xiaomi, in partnership with local company Mobile in Africa Group, started to sell its Redmi 2 and Mi 4 phones, in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya in November.

Under the deal, Mobile in Africa Group handles Xiaomi's sales, marketing and post-sale support services. Redmi 2 reportedly has been priced at $160 and Mi 4 at $320 in the three countries.

Mobile in Africa is setting up online stores in 14 African countries and, similar to Xiaomi's model in China, will sell its smartphones mostly online, according to Forbes.

Xiaomi is the world's fourth largest phone maker after Samsung, Apple and Huawei, according to TrendForce reports. Its markets were primarily in Asia.

"We see Africa as the next frontier for smartphone growth and we are excited to be partnering with MIA Group to offer consumers in these three countries our high-quality smartphones at amazing prices," Raymond Tian, Xiaomi global strategy director, said in a statement.

China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 02/05/2016 page8)