BT and Huawei have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering the potential supply of datacentre services by BT to Huawei.
The agreement was signed during a visit to Huawei’s Shenzen headquarters by the secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, Vince Cable.
Cable’s visit to China as part of the Third UK-China Leadership Forum – which was organised under the auspices of the China Britain Business Council, Huawei and UKTI – underscores Huawei’s £1.3bn investment in its UK business, which includes a substantial tranche of money for R&D.
Cable described the investment as a “vote of confidence in our status as a knowledge economy”.
“The location of key Huawei R&D facilities in the UK will have a direct global impact on cutting-edge technologies. This is further evidence that global companies are attracted to the UK because of the strength of our skills base and the government’s investment in it,” he said.
Huawei chairwoman Sun Yafang said Huawei’s commitment to invest and procure £1.3bn in the UK by 2017 was well on track.
During his tour of Huawei’s HQ, including its exhibition centre and R&D facilities, Cable met with Chinese vice-minister of industry and IT, Yang Xueshan, and explored themes around smart cities and big data.
28 May 2014