3rd article, Malaysia.

By ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD

zuhrinazam@thestar.com.my

CYBERJAYA: Huawei, a global leading ICT solution provider, expects to invest another RM90mil in the next few years to consolidate Malaysia's position as a world-class ICT training hub.

The investment would be mainly for equipment and facilities of new technologies at its Malaysia Global Training Centre (MGTC) located here.

Huawei Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd deputy managing director Foo Fang Yong said ICT sector needed a continuous investment as the sector developed rapidly.

“It is a non-stop developing sector where we see new inventions or improved-version technologies almost on a daily basis.

“We invested RM90mil in 2010 when we started the MGTC and we could expect a similar amount to be invested as we must keep abreast with current technologies,” he said after the launching of the centre by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday.

The MGTC is Huawei's third in the world and first outside its homebased China.

In conjunction with the launch, Huawei also signed an agreement with 10 local universities that would initiate the setting up of 10 Huawei University Training Labs under MSC Malaysia MyUniAlliance (Huawei) programme in each of the universities.

The initiative is to further cultivate the interest of students in the field of next generation ICT technologies such as cloud Computing and Fixed Broadband.

Huawei senior vice-president Victor Wang said the key objective of the initiatives was to train and develop 10,000 ICT local professionals by 2016.

He sai d the initiatives would be further supported by the introduction of MSC Malaysia-Huawei Scholastic Awards, aimed to help cultivate interest among graduates to acquire the necessary skills to enter the ICT sector.

Last year, Huawei which has a work force of 150,000 people worldwide earned US$35bil. Its clientele includes 45 of the world's top 50 telecommunication operators.