China's Huawei shows interest in LatAm

PANAMA CITY - China's Huawei Technologies showed its interest in the Latin American market with the opening in Panama City of its 2nd Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Expo, local media reported Wednesday.

The global telecommunications services and solutions provider inaugurated the four-day event Tuesday evening at a hotel in the city's banking center, to feature the company's latest developments.

Manuel Vexler, director of marketing for Huawei North Latin America, told reporters at a press conference that Latin America is key to the company's future growth.

Huawei is now the main provider in its field for regional countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico and Colombia, according to Vexler, and the company hopes to grow between 25 and 30 percent a year in the region.

Vexler said the business sector represented the greatest potential for growth, including small companies, followed by other sectors, such as health.

There was also room to grow in the areas of fiber optics networks, radio and television, as well as telephones and terminals, part of the technology installed for the 2014 Brazil World Cup, added Vexler.

The expo showcases a variety of telecommunications solutions, including broadband and mobile broadband, data center, smart phones, tablets and much more, he said.

As part of the expo, the company also organized a forum on "transcending in the era of digital transformation," which gathered more than 50 representatives from 10 Caribbean technology firms and Huawei experts, who spoke of the fast-changing world of ICT.

During the opening of the expo, Panama's Minister of Trade and Industry, Meliton Arrocha, said the country was proud that Huawei had chosen Panama as the site of its regional Caribbean headquarters.

Brad Xuan, general manager of Huawei Caribbean in Panama, said the company in Panama had the chance to grow above the 18 percent global average of Huawei's other firms, given Panama's economic growth rate.

Huawei's Panama subsidiary, opened in 2008, employs more than 300 people. The company employs some 150,000 people worldwide.

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