Huawei recently announced that networking professionals in Malaysia will be the first to get access to their Huawei Certified Internetwork Expert Routing & Switching (HCIE-R&S) certification. The certification was previously only available in China, Netherlands and Dubai. This should reduce the costs required to gain said certification and offer networking professionals within the region another option to gain HCIE-R&S certification. Done in collaboration with Infosyte Sdn Bhd, which is a Huawei Authorized Learning Partner, professionals interested in HCIE will be able to gain the certification after the appropriate training, written test and corresponding lab examination followed by a comprehensive interview have been carried out. The HCIE-R&S certification emphasizes complex network interconnection and troubleshooting capabilities and is designed to help network engineers build, optimize and manage complex enterprise network infrastructures. Here's what Huawei had to say about it:

“As one of the fastest digital economies in the region, the need for qualified networking professionals in Malaysia show no signs of slowing down. The need for its professionals to acquire the skills needed to make the most of opportunities, on their home-ground and abroad, has never been higher. Accessibility of trainings such as HCIE benefits both individual professionals and corporations because it helps strengthen the skills of a workforce that is set to lead the new era of hyper-connected economy. At Huawei, we take our role of cultivating these young leaders very seriously. Skill development is a central to our strategy and community initiatives in the markets we operate in.”Abraham Liu, Huawei Malaysia CEO

Huawei recently launched its first Regional Data Hosting Center called the Asia Pacific Digital Cloud Exchange in Iskandar Johor. The centre will aggregate and distribute digital music, mobile games, video and other multimedia services to telcos in Malaysia and the rest of the Asia Pacific region. Officiated by Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, YAB Tan Sri Dato’ HJ Muhyiddin HJ. Mohd Yassin and Mr. Wu Zhengping, the Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Embassy of People’s Republic China in Malaysia, the centre marks Huawei's commitment to Malaysia's ICT vision of the future. Huawei envisions exponential growth in ICT across industries by 2020 and the Asia Pacific Cloud Exchange in Iskandar should provide a firm bulwark and hub for the upcoming "Digital Tsunami". Other initiatives announced include Memorandum of Understanding with Uzone games, Les' Copaque Production, M-Mode Mobile, Elite Entertainment and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia for various digital content. Here's what Huawei had to say about it:

“As one of the fastest growing markets in the region, we are pleased to open our first Data Hosting Centre, the Huawei Digital Cloud Exchange, in Malaysia. Our investment in this facility is a major milestone in making Malaysia our regional business gateway. Malaysia’s investment-friendly policies, its skilled workforce and geographic advantages underline our confidence in the country’s potential as a Regional Digital Cloud Exchange. We hope that Huawei’s Digital Cloud Exchange will not only help nurture Malaysia's creative content and the vast pool of local talent and but also create a productive and innovative digital market worth billions of USD.  We are keen on partnering with the public and private sectors to turn this vision into reality. We are grateful for the enormous support from the Malaysian government that continues to encourage a partnership approach with investors. Their policies and approach to foreign investment make investing in Malaysia win-win proposition. We are happy to share our experiences with other investors looking to expand to Malaysia.” Abraham Liu, CEO of Huawei Malaysia.

The second inaugral Huawei ICT Roadshow recently occured. Inaugrated by Dato' Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Communications and Multimedia Minister for Malaysia, the platform allowed industry experts in Malaysia to further discuss and exchange ideas regarding the connectivity within Malaysia. Mr. Wu Zhengping, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Embassy of People’s Republic China in Malaysia also attended the event with the main focus of the platform being Huawei;s Smart City Solution for end-to-end security, a convergant command center, video surveillance cloud and mobile policing. Here's what they had to say on the event and the solution:

“I am delighted to be among the nation’s ICT experts and policy makers at the Huawei’s ICT Roadshow 2015. We want to use today’s platform to get the ecosystem to start thinking about the way ahead in using technology for a Smart Malaysia with the end goal of complementing and enabling all other nation building initiatives. By building on Smart Economy, Smart Environment, Smart Governance, Smart Mobility, Smart Living and Smart People, we are already infusing ICT into all spheres of the society, and in doing so, accelerating Malaysia towards a developed and modern country and enriching the lives of the rakyat. As a global ICT leader, Huawei has the technology know-how and experience in the development of smart country initiatives. I hope that in the near future, more experts from across the ecosystem join the partnership we have formed with Huawei to jointly build a Smart Country. Let’s work together towards a common vision, and overcome challenges we face along the way. In that aspect, we welcome constructive dialogue with industry players, agencies and technology partners.” Dato' Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Communications and Multimedia Minister for Malaysia

Digital connectivity and inclusion across urban and rural centers, genders, and economic strata enables countries to attract investment by providing access to skill development and employment opportunities and promoting sustainability. Innovative ICT infrastructure is fundamental to the digital restructuring of industries and the long-term development of a Better Connected Smart Country. I want to take this opportunity to announce that Huawei is committed to partner in Malaysia’s endeavor to be a Better Connected, Smart Country. Cities today need effective public safety solutions for incident prevention, emergency response, and evidence collection that address these challenges. As Malaysia gears up towards its Smart Country vision, it has vast potential to leverage technology for public services and safety of its citizens. Today’s launch is a first among many pillars of our commitment to bring world class connectivity and technology to empower Malaysians.” Mr Abraham Liu, Huawei Malaysia CEO

Huawei Malaysia recently announced that Mr Abraham Liu, CEO of Huawei Malaysia recently got awarded the CEO Faculty Program certificate with the Ministry of Education Malaysia. In this program, Mr Liu will mentor staff and students of universities across Malaysia for the next two years, focusing on ICT education, leadership mentoring in the ICT sector and more. In related news, Huawei recently announced CNY288.2 billion (RM169 billion) worth of revenue for 2014. Of note is that 32.6% or CNY75.1 billion comes from the Consumer Business Group which handles Huawei's smartphone and mobile device business. This shows a rapid growth and demand for Huawei devices that should extend to 2015 as well.

DirectD is one of the better known third-party mobile device sellers and retailers in Malaysia. This is due to their often lower than average prices and early (before official release) inventory of the latest smartphones, tablets, mobile devices and more. Recently, they held the grand opening for their latest DirectD Gadget Mega Store here in Petaling Jaya. Featuring 18000 square feet and lots of nearby parking space, DirectD say that they have the largest mobile phone shop in Malaysia yet. While there are more than 300 smartphones and tablets and 1000 or so accessories available at a time, the store also has the latest devices on display, a dedicated service center with comfortable waiting area and telco center for both new subscribers and bill payment. These telcos include DiGi, Maxis, U Mobile and YES with plans to add more soon. In addition, free WiFi is available throughout the store. Individual buyers can also opt to pay via installment plan or credit card while wholesale buyers are also welcome with no minimum order required. The DirectD Gadget Mega Store will be open from 9.00am to 9.30pm everyday. Here are some of the highlights and promotions available;

• located at Lot 11, Jln 51A/219, PJ (next to Mazda service Centre, same row with Avon and Hong Leong bank, along side Federal Highway)
• a snap post & win contest!
• the first 50 or so customers were able to buy a power bank at just RM1 or phone at RM10 or bid for a smartphone starting from RM10!
• those who came could also buy 1 and get free 1 original Lumia 530 smartphone
• "I am a member" membership program with redemption prizes and other benefits
• "I am a dealer" dealership program 

Huawei Malaysia recently announced that their Huawei Consumer Business Group has appointed a new Chief Marketing Officer and President of Strategy Marketing Department. To name names, Ms. Glory Zhang has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer of the Huawei Consumer Business Group while Mr. Shao Yang takes over as the President of Strategy Marketing Department for the Huawei Consumer Business Group. Both have various business successes under their belts and are set to help Huawei's smartphone business continue to grow exponentially. The transition of both is expected to be completed in April 2015, ready for the release of new smartphones like the upcoming Huawei P8, which is expected to be announced at an event on 15 April 2015.

Huawei has a number of devices in its pipeline for 2015. In a recent event in China, the company teased a picture which shows off some of the devices that it will announce this year. The image reveals new updates in the Huawei Mate and Huawei P series lineup, both of them flagship devices featuring high end tech specs. There will be other smartphone releases too in the Huawei Honor and the Huawei G and Y series. The company also has some tablets in store for the year. According to the picture, the new Huawei X series tablet and M series tablets will debut in a few months. The former is targeted at providing the best experience on a large screen and the M series devices will be aimed at delivering the best audio visual experience. However, the highlight of the teaser will be the new smartwatch from Huawei. The company has confirmed its entry into the smartwatch industry this year and it will run on Google's Android platform optimized for wearables. There will be a new flagship smartband launch too. Both these wearable devices will focus on fitness apps and features. More details are expected at the upcoming MWC 2015 event to be held in Barcelona in March although other reports indicate that we could see the Huawei P8 later sometime in July. Stay tuned for more developments.

Huawei Malaysia and Xiamen University recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Xiamen University Malaysia campus to develope a future-oriented ICT enabled campus in Malaysia. While no exact Malaysia release dates were revealed, the MoU details collaboration between the two that will result in a high-quality campus network along with a joint lab on Xiamen University campus grounds featuring Huawei's latest ICT technologies. Xiamen University Campus Malaysia will be located in Bandar Kota Warisan, Selangor. Here's what Huawei Malaysia and Xiamen University had to say about it all:

“I’m very pleased to see Huawei embark on this exciting journey with Xiamen University, one of the most respected universities in the world. As a world ICT leader, Huawei is leading the way for education reform through technology. Smart campuses with reliable, high bandwidth networks are essential tools for today’s Digital Natives to feel engaged in University education and compete and win in the digital economy. This MoU is just the in line with our ongoing efforts in ICT education and skill development for Malaysian students. I am very excited by the potential of this partnership and look forward to working with the university over the future.” Abraham Liu, CEO of Huawei Malaysia

“We are excited to have taken the first step in what we hope will be a long-term collaboration with Huawei, a company which plays a major role in the global ICT industry. Today’s MoU with Huawei means the collaborations between Xiamen University and Huawei have reached a strategic level. This win-win collaboration will help Xiamen University expand its reputation in Malaysia and it also enables Huawei to enhance its brand among the education industry.” Zhu Chongshi, President of Xiamen University

Huawei Malaysia recently launched their 1st exclusive Customer Service Center here in Plaza Berjaya. Located on the first floor of Plaza Berjaya (right next to the monorail bridge), the new Service Center offers a comfortable waiting space complete with free charging station and HDTV. Huawei devices like the Huawei Ascend Mate 7, Ascend P7 and various Huawei accessories for sale are also on display. Regarding plans within Malaysia, Huawei said that they would be increasing the number of Authorized Collection Points from 17 to 100 by the end of the year. Here's what they had to say about it:

"Aftersales service is an integral part of our brand promise. We continuously seek to exceed customers' expectation in this aspect. Another aspect that contributes to customer satisfaction is convenience. With the objective of hassle-free ownership experience, we are aiming to implement door-to-door pick-up and delivery services before the end of the first quarter." Gary Xu, Country Director, Consumer Business Group, Huawei Technologies Malaysia