(Will provide later)
Case: Huawei
Type: Infrastructure (Information and Communication Technology, ICT)
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 2011 to present
Status: Ongoing
Organisation: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Project brief:
Aside from the commonly known tangible parts of the BRI, the Silk Road Economic Belt (land route) and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (sea route), a third “Silk Road” was also launched by China in 2015. The “Information Silk Road”, since rebranded as the Digital Silk Road (DSR), has the stated objective of enhancing global communication linkages and accelerating the globalisation of Chinese tech firms.
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. has been constructing thousands of kilometres of fibre-optic cable networks in the country alongside band transceiver stations, or towers, that can facilitate wireless communication in various regions so that 5G technology can be accessed evenly across the Indonesian islands. Huawei has signed contracts with Indosat Ooredoo, Indonesia’s second-largest telecommunication firm, for the installation of 5G infrastructure in some regions of Indonesia, along with offering training on 5G technology to 100,000 Indonesians on 5G technology. Huawei also announced that it was collaborating with Indonesia’s Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) in three fields: artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and 5G networks[1].
Besides hard aspects, the implementation of China's DSR in Indonesia also involves soft aspects, which mainly focus on strengthening understanding and acceptance of China's growing digital foothold among the Indonesian people. Huawei has also initiated a digital talent training programme in more than 33 colleges and universities in Indonesia, which aims to equip young Indonesians with knowledge and skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and the cloud.
Image: Huawei Indonesia signed MoU with Telkom University [Photo: tek.id]
[1] “BPPT, Huawei team up to develop AI, cloud and 5G,” The Jakarta Post, 13 October 2020.