Huawei, Intel to equip KACST wireless technologies R&D center

HYDERABAD, INDIA: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Intel Corp. announced the selection of Huawei to provide the Wireless Technologies Research and Development Center with state-of-the-art solution, including base stations, access network gateway, authentication servers and other needed equipment and software, in preparation for launching operations at the center in the next few months.

Intel signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Huawei to this effect in a ceremony attended by His Highness Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, vice-president for Research Institutes at KACST.

Abdulziz Al-Noghaither, General Manager, Intel Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, signed the MoU on behalf of Intel, while Liu Qi, CEO of Huawei in Saudi Arabia, signed on behalf of Huawei.

According to the MoU, Huawei will provide the solution for building access and core WiMAX network in the lab. The center aims to use these equipment to showcase WiMAX technology, test interoperability and optimize network performance in order to guarantee effective operation of various client end-user devices on operators’ WiMAX networks.

Commenting on the event during the signing ceremony, His Highness Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, vice-president for Research Institutes at KACST, said: "We are pleased to be hosts for each of Intel Corp. and Huawei in their signing of the memorandum of understanding, which represents an important milestone towards the launch of the Wireless Technologies Research and Development Center.

"We believe that the expertise offered by Intel, coupled by the advanced equipment provided by Huawei, will play a major role in making the center succeed. Companies working in the field of telecommunications, along with research centers and universities, will soon be able to benefit from the offerings of the center."

Upon signing the MoU, Abdulziz Al-Noghaither, General Manager, Intel Kingdom of Saudi Arabia called on telecommunication companies operating in the region to make use of the services that will be offered by the center, emphasizing the importance of WiMAX technologies in supporting broadband Internet penetration in countries of the region.

“With the help of God, the center has become ready for telecommunication companies operating in the region to benefit from its services and the field consultancy it offers with respect to WiMAX technologies. We hope that the center would actively contribute towards supporting wide use of WiMAX technology throughout the Middle East, Africa and Turkey,” he said.

It is noteworthy that Huawei is one of the world’s leading companies in the development and provision of wireless technologies, and it has supplied telecommunication operators worldwide with networks meeting the each customer’s demands. The company also has a long experience in setting up WiMAX networks and research in this field.

On his part, Liu Qi, CEO of Huawei in Saudi Arabia, said: “We take pride in the confidence shown to us by each of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and Intel Corporation to provide the Wireless Technologies Research and Development Center with the necessary tools and equipment. We are pleased that Huawei will contribute towards the success of the center’s mission, which aims to support scientific research and contribute to the spread of WiMAX networks in the region.”

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology will host the center whose operations will expand to serve the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, making it act as a hub for other branch laboratories that may open in the region to collectively work on the challenges facing the dissemination of networks.

The center will conduct validation for WiMAX infrastructure equipment and terminals, interoperability testing, studies for performance optimization, pre-certification for qualified products and experimentation with new WiMAX services and applications.

In addition to accelerating the deployment of WiMAX wireless broadband services, the lab will make use of best known methods from other regions to help stimulate new innovative ideas for network deployment in the region. The lab will put emphasis toward WiMAX mobility and broadband coverage problems in the region as well as other challenges such as validation of end-to-end network deployment.