With COVID-19 forcing businesses to review and refresh their business models, there is more widespread application of 5G technology, AI, cloud and IOT to help operations to adapt.

That is according to Ken Hu, Huawei's Rotating Chairman, who opened the multinational ICT company’s online Industrial Digital Transformation Conference this week.

In December 2020, the International Data Corporation (IDC) said 65% of the world’s GDP is set to be digitalised by 2022 and direct DX investments is expected to total US$6.8-trillion between 2020 and 2023.

Hu pointed out that digital transformation is speeding up across industries, and full cloud adoption will happen 1 to 3 years earlier than expected.

“Going digital is no longer just for internet companies. It’s expanding to traditional industries, and from the office to the production floor. So far, Huawei has built 13 Open Labs around the world to support joint innovation. In places like Munich and Dubai, the company is working with almost 900 ecosystem partners to incubate different solutions for industrial scenarios. To date, it has successfully verified more than 60 solutions in areas ranging from smart retail to smart manufacturing. On the technology side, Huawei is innovating in areas like smart campuses, deterministic networks, hyper-integrated datacentres, smart clouds, and green energy to lay the foundation for an intelligent future.”

Peng Zhongyang, Board Member, President of Enterprise BG, Huawei, stressed that three basic principles must be followed during digital transformation.

First, companies must continue to be customer-centric, which is the starting point of digital transformation. Secondly, they must seize two key factors: the convergence of technologies and scenarios is the key to digitalisation, while cloud is critical to continuous optimisation and value creation in the digital era. Thirdly, businesses should focus on customer requirements to build a symbiotic and shared digital ecosystem from three dimensions: scenario exploration, capacity building, and a cooperation model to jointly create new value for industries.

Huawei execs said new challenges and uncertainty will emerge in the post-pandemic era.

“Huawei will be more open and continue to work with our 30,000 global partners to complement each other's strengths and help overcome new challenges,” the companies explained.

Create new value

Huawei said it is committed to working with customers and partners to integrate core business scenarios with ICT technologies, and accelerate industrial digitalisation and upgrade through scenario-specific, innovative solutions. This is also the key to the digitalisation of the industry.

In the finance sector, through joint innovation with partners, Huawei has provided NCBA Bank Kenya, the largest commercial bank in the East African sub region, with a new digital core system.

The system provides inclusive financial services for more than 18 million users in Kenya and neighbouring countries, empowering the real economy and promoting sustainable social development.

Eric Muriuki Njagi, Director of NCBA Digital Services, said: "Our cooperation with Huawei aims to solve current problems as well as grasp new opportunities brought by future services."