Agreement between PT and Huawei strengthens investment in fiber and creates 150 jobs

PT tests 100Gbps between Lisbon and Porto

Portugal Telecom and Huawei announced a partnership that should lead to the installation in Portugal of an operations center of the Chinese multinational, creating 150 jobs, and allowing the reinforcement of investment in optical fiber in the national market.

The strategic cooperation agreement was signed this Saturday, as part of the official visit of the President of the People’s Republic of China, Hu Jintao, and provides for the supply and development of fiber solutions and new technologies on the mobile network.

«It will allow us to boost the investment we are making in fiber in Portugal and make the fiber reach the furniture faster,» said Zeinal Bava, speaking to the Lusa agency, at the end of a ceremony that included the signing of several agreements between Portugal and China.

In a press release, PT explained that the agreement is part of a technology strategy to offer «new generation and convergent services» to customers, «regardless of their location». The objective is «to develop, test and implement innovative solutions, within the framework of a strategic partnership framework with a view to promoting the development of networks and services in the markets where PT is present».

«This partnership has important competitive advantages in terms of innovation. We share our innovation plan with them, they share the innovation plan with us, we form joint teams, and some of them will do work here in Portugal, which opens up opportunities for us to enhance the pole we have in Aveiro «, added Zeinal Bava to Lusa.

The partnership also provides for the creation of a Huawei Service and Operations Center in the national territory, for the development of applications and services, which should lead to the creation of 150 jobs, the amounts associated with this investment having not been revealed.

The agreement now signed comes after a relationship strengthening agreement signed in September 2009 and following a multi-year collaboration between the two companies, which has led to «the development of numerous telecommunications projects» in Portugal and elsewhere, advanced PT. To the news agency, Zeinal Bava stressed the importance of markets such as Brazil and Africa, but also Timor, classifying its presence in the region as «very strategic and very important».