Huawei Innovation Day Asia: Build Innovative ICT Ecosystems for a Better Connected Asia

[Singapore, November 13, 2015] Huawei co-hosted the inaugural Huawei Innovation Day Asia in partnership with the National University of Singapore yesterday. The theme of the event was, “Building Innovation Ecosystems for a Better Connected Asia”. The forum attracted over 150 regional government officials, as well as experts from universities and research institutions. The attendees were involved in in-depth discussions on how ICT technologies can make Asian cities smarter.

Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr S. Iswaran graced the event as the guest-of-honour and acknowledged that the forum came at a timely juncture given Asia’s rapid urbanization and growing urban population. He noted that technological innovation will have a profound impact on the nature of jobs, the viability of business models, and the structure of economies. He added that smart cities solutions have the potential to transform cities, improve the living environment for citizens, and create new and fulfilling jobs.

The latest Huawei Global Connectivity Index 2014 has shown that ICT infrastructure is pivotal to national competitiveness and it is estimated that a 20 percent increase in ICT investment will increase a country’s GDP by 1 percent. Big Data is a key for supporting smart operations and plays an integral role in building smart cities.

Li Jin Ge, President of Asia Pacific Region, said:” ICT technologies, particularly broadband, cloud computing, Big Data, and the Internet of Things, is already driving the digitization of all industries. These technologies are also promoting improvements in planning and construction, management and operations, livable environments, and human touch in cities around the world.” With Big Data and other technologies, many cities, such as New York, Dubuque, Chicago, Seattle, London, Copenhagen, Lyon, Barcelona, Santander, Amsterdam, and Singapore, have taken the lead in launching mega city initiatives.

ICT technology also has the potential to transform business models. Stephen Ezell, Vice President Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, shared that the success of e-commerce in China, underpinned by ICT technologies, has created a new digital economy that has transformed the lives of millions of consumers and small enterprises. Akihiro Oshima, Vice President, Global Business Division, Softbank Corp. , a key telecommunications operator in Japan, has helped Japanese SMEs transform their business model and tap on new opportunities in highly competitive markets by building an ecosystem that fosters smart applications and e-commerce.

Innovation Day is a flagship series focused on global innovation hosted by Huawei. Thus far, Huawei Innovation Day has been successfully held in Stockholm, Milan, and Munich hosted by Huawei. The first Huawei Innovation Day Asia aims to build a platform for ICT players in Asia to communicate how to build an ecosystem. Event attendees discussed a wide range of topics, including transforming mega cities for a Smarter Asia through Better Connection.

Innovation Day is a flagship series focused on global innovation hosted by Huawei. Huawei Innovation Day has been successfully held in Stockholm, Milan, and Munich hosted by Huawei. The first Huawei Innovation Day Asia aims to build a platform for ICT players in Asia to communicate how to build an ecosystem. Event attendees discussed a wide range of topics, including transforming mega cities for a Smarter Asia through Better Connection.