The GSMA has announced Huawei as the 2018 winner of the prestigious “Outstanding Contribution to the Mobile Industry Award.”
The award, which recognises individuals, companies and organisations that have contributed in significant ways to the development of the mobile industry and the advancement of mobile communications was presented to Huawei at a special ceremony held at the opening ceremony of this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
“Founded in 1987, Huawei secured its first contract outside China just two decades ago,” said Sunil Bharti Mittal, GSMA Chairman and Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises. “
Speaking on the choice of Huawei for the award, Sunil Bharti Mittal, GSMA Chairman and Founder of Bharti Enterprises, noted that in a relatively short span of time, Huawei has grown to become the world’s largest supplier of networking equipment and services to mobile operators, continually delivering innovative new technologies and products.
“We are pleased to recognise Huawei, a company founded in 1987, but secured its first contract outside China just two decades ago for their considerable efforts in advancing the mobile industry with this award,” he said.
Huawei has played a leading role in areas such as devices, smart cities, smart grids, among many others. Through participation in over 360 standards bodies, industry organisations and open source communities, Huawei has been an active force in the development of the digital ecosystem.
Through its history the company has shown a strong focus on research and development, and in recent years has concentrated on building out the next generation of digital infrastructure by driving innovation in cloud, artificial intelligence, and 5G technologies. From 2007 to 2016, Huawei’s total R&D investment surpassed US$48 billion dollars, having invested $11 billion in 2016 alone.