MTN and Huawei strengthens cooperation

Huawei and MTN Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on February 27, at MWC 2023 to strengthen strategic cooperation in the field of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).

Huawei’s MoU complies with MTN’s business strategy Ambition 2025 and Huawei’s Corporate Sustainability Development (CSD) strategy, including its TECH4ALL initiative.

“Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress can only be achieved through the power of partnerships, Working with companies like Huawei, we can pool our technologies and expertise to drive greater access to connectivity, digital skills, and greener and more sustainable solutions to the benefit of all,” said MTN Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo.

“We believe that digital technology will become an important force driving social development and making the world more inclusive and sustainable,” said Guo Ping, Chairman of the Huawei Supervisory Board.

For digital skills, the Huawei DigiTruck project provides free training in digital skills for those in need, including those in rural communities, the elderly, the unemployed, and girls and women. DigiTruck is a solar-powered mobile classroom equipped with laptops, smartphones and 4G connectivity.

On the other hand, Huawei ICT Academy trains university students in ICT skills such as 5G, cloud computing, and AI. There are 1,900 Huawei ICT Academies in 110 countries, serving around 150,000 students a year.

MTN says it is to expand its network to underserved communities and has set a target of 95% rural broadband coverage by 2025. MTN’s partnership with Huawei is providing a way to achieve this goal.

MTN and Huawei are collaborating on deploying RuralStar, an affordable connectivity solution for providing online access to remote and rural communities.

The solution excludes traditional barriers that make network connectivity in such scenarios unviable for carriers and will extend collaboration between the partners. Also, it follows in the footsteps of the completion of the world’s first RuralStar proof-of-concept in Ghana in 2017.

To reduce carbon emissions, Huawei will work with MTN to achieve net zero by 2040. Both companies will work together on decarbonizing the operator’s telecommunications infrastructure, spanning Radio Access Network (RAN) sites, transport networks, storage, and data centers.