By Taonga Sabola in Barcelona, Spain:
MTN Group and Huawei have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Joint Innovation Technology Laboratory aimed at deepening cooperation in technological innovation.
The signing ceremony was held at Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
The strategic partnership will see the creation of an Innovation Technology Lab at MTN Group’s headquarters in South Africa which will serve as a neutral platform for collaboration within the Africa’s digital ecosystem, accelerating the development, deployment and adoption of innovative digital solutions driven across the continent.
The two companies intend to leverage this initiative to focus their research and development efforts on key areas such as 5G and beyond, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data analytics, cloud computing, and digital financial services.
- Advertisement -
The partnership aims to accelerate the time-to-market of MTN’s products and services while addressing the unique challenges faced in Africa, including improving network coverage in rural areas, enhancing energy efficiency, and affordability.
Additionally, MTN’s operational teams will actively participate in the innovation process, ensuring the solutions developed directly address real-world challenges and drive meaningful digital transformation and sustainable development in Africa.
Group Chief Technology and Information Officer Mazen Mroué said the Joint Innovation Technology Lab is more than a partnership between two companies.
“It’s an investment in the growth of Africa’s digital ecosystem. We believe that collaboration is essential for developing solutions that truly meet the continent’s needs, and this lab will pave the way for a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous future for Africa,” Mroué said.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
On his part, Huawei’s Corporate Senior Vice President and President of ICT Sales and Service Li Peng said his firm will continue innovating with MTN to ensure they have the products and solutions required to best serve Africa’s unique market.
“This will not only give MTN a competitive edge in terms of network quality, user experience, and rapid deployment, but also help MTN achieve their own business objectives.
“We believe that this newly-established lab will help supercharge both MTN’s research and development as well as Africa’s digital economy, bringing more prosperity to the African continent,” Li said.
