Huawei Rotating Chairman Ken Hu recently held a press conference with leading global media at the company’s new campus in Dongguan. The journalists visited R&D labs showcasing materials and thermal management technologies developed for 5G equipment, as well as an independent cybersecurity lab.
Hu delivered strong messages of confidence in Huawei’s business growth and prospects, citing the trust of hundreds of network operators, nearly half of the world’s Fortune 500 companies, and hundreds of millions of consumers. Huawei’s 2018 revenue, he said, was expected to exceed $100 billion.
He also addressed recent allegations against Huawei, stating that it is best to let facts speak for themselves, while emphasizing that the company’s security record was clean. Hu noted that there have been no serious cybersecurity incidents in 30 years.
On 5G, Hu mentioned that Huawei has secured 25 commercial contracts, ranking No. 1 among all ICT equipment providers, having already shipped more than 10,000 base stations to markets around the world. Almost all network customers have indicated they want Huawei and will remain so for at least the next 12 to 18 months, for faster and more cost-effective upgrades to 5G. Some security concerns based on the technology for 5G were very legitimate, noted Hu, but able to be clarified or mitigated through collaboration with operators and governments.
“Rare cases” have arisen where some countries are using 5G issues as an excuse for groundless speculation based on “ideological or geopolitical considerations.” Security concerns disingenuously raised as excuses to block market competition would slow adoption of new technology, increase costs for network deployment, and raise prices for consumers.
Hu emphasized that security is Huawei’s highest priority. He said Huawei has subjected itself to the strictest reviews and screening by regulators and customers, while expressing understanding of legitimate concerns that some stakeholders might have. However, no evidence indicates that Huawei equipment poses a security threat. Regarding concerns over Chinese law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China had formally clarified that no law requires companies to install mandatory backdoors. Huawei remains open to concerns about its openness, transparency, and independence as well as dialogue. Any proof or evidence could be shared with telecom operators, if not to Huawei or the public at large.
“We will continue to increase our investment on security and security-related technologies. In our most recent board meeting, we decided on a companywide transformation program to improve our software engineering capabilities. The company will invest an initial special budget of $2 billion in the next five years to comprehensively improve our software engineering capabilities so our products will be better prepared for the future world,” Hu added.
