Tag: ZTE

ZTE Corporation has released Fifth Generation (5G)-based Industrial Field Network White Paper designed to provide a full range of capabilities for scenarios in the production and manufacturing fields in response to the strong demands for low latency, low jitter, and high reliability.

The White Paper was released at the 2023 Analyst Conference, marking its first launch of an industry production site empowered by 5G for overseas markets.

Also, the White Paper was designed to address the rapid  changes that occur in commodity production by providing a series of solutions for network and computing integration, service guarantee, and all-round “self-serving” capabilities, to help promote the deepening of 5G applications in industrial field networks and empower the intelligent transformation of production domains.

The typical applications of the current industrial Internet are facing the challenge of information isolated islands caused by the digitization of “single-point” business, and the traditional IT and OT networks of enterprises have formed invisible “walls,” which hinder the digital transformation of production in enterprises. Currently, under the trend of “fully connected factories,” this whitepaper has been developed. It combines the project practices of ZTE, operators, and industry partners to present a detailed construction plan for factory-level, workshop-level, and production-line-level 5G private networks to industry customers.

Read Also: ZTE: Airtel’s 4G will drive growth

The whitepaper conducts in-depth research on the needs of typical industry production scenarios, such as flexible production in the 3C (Computer, Communication, Consumer) manufacturing industry, unmanned cranes in the steel industry, and remote control of gantry cranes in ports. The whitepaper identifies key capabilities required for 5G industrial on-site networks in production scenarios, encompassing: Comprehensive 5G Solutions: Integration of computing power and 5G connectivity, provides the flexibility of on-site 3rd party application deployment; Service Guarantee: Low latency, high bandwidth, and high reliability to meet production requirements; and Enterprise Self-Serving Capability: Simplified 5G private network planning, debugging, and maintenance.

The whitepaper proposes distinct 5G field network deployment modes—Independent and Integrated—to align with the diverse production characteristics of various industries. It offers tailored solutions covering: Computing Power Supply: Utilizing 5G network architecture, the whitepaper advocates for on-demand deployment of enterprise services through series industrial gateways on the terminal side and NodeEngine at 5G base stations. This facilitates flexible data integration and business linkages.

Key Networking Technologies: Ensuring robust business connections with low latency, high bandwidth, high reliability, closed-loop SLA service guarantee, and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN). Redundancy backup, data stream splitting, and Frame Replication and Elimination for Reliability (FRER) enhance network reliability; Supporting Business Capabilities: Enabling on-demand cloud-based PLC, video optimization, front-end data acquisition, and cloud-based AGV dispatching station for 5G private networks. These capabilities can be seamlessly integrated with third-party applications, providing industry customers a comprehensive network-cloud deployment solution; and Self-Serving Capability: The whitepaper introduces an innovative approach to simplify 5G private network deployment and operation, enhancing the efficiency of enterprise service deployment and operation.

The whitepaper highlights ZTE’s successes alongside industry partners. Notable achievements include the cloudification and networking of production equipment in the Nanjing Binjiang Factory’s automated production line upgrade project, leveraging computing network solutions for enhanced efficiency. Additionally, the Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation’s unmanned crane achieved unmanned remote control solutions through end-to-end reliability solutions.

The whitepaper showcases ZTE’s unique prowess in industrial field networks, offering end-to-end product and service solutions encompassing terminals, networks, clouds, and industries. Leveraging integrated computing and network services, ZTE enables streamlined and efficient digital transformation for industry customers. This support empowers businesses to effectively harness 5G technology, fostering innovation in new scenarios and models within the ‘5G+ Industrial Internet’ framework.

The whitepaper signifies ZTE’s commitment to exploring diverse domains and processes in industrial production, facilitating the transformation of traditional industries for improved quality, reduced costs, increased efficiency, and advancements in green development.

Mr. Hao Fuqiang is Managing Director, ZTE Nigeria Limited, a frontline equipment vendor with branches around the world that has been involved in the Nigerian telecommunications industry. In this chat with Olayinka Oyegbile, Fuqiang talks about his company’s project in the country

Can you give us a short overview of ZTE operations in Nigeria?

ZTE Nigeria Limited was founded in 2002. We have two main offices; Abuja and Lagos. We also have branches in Ibadan, Port Harcourt and some other cities. So far, we have about 200 Chinese staff working in and out of Nigeria and over 700 local staff. In the past 10 years, the accumulated sales driving is up to $1.6 billion in the Nigerian market.

Since you entered the Nigerian market, how will you rate the ICT sector? Is it a rewarding, is it worth it? Will you say that Nigeria for you is a good ICT destination?

There is no doubt the Nigerian market is a very good destination for ICT equipment vendors not only ZTE. I could say so because this market is very big and we all know that Nigeria is the biggest population in the African market with160 million people. We also have a lot of ICT experts in the country. For us in the ICT sector and the population is the number one point not only for ZTE but for everybody.

What about telecommunications infrastructure compared to other developing countries?

In Nigeria the major challenge for the ICT sector is not ICT itself, it is power. Power cost a lot of money for the ICT sector. That’s why you can see we’ve done project for some operators in Nigeria, we use generator or we put solar panel so that’s the major challenge. But this problem is not only in Nigeria, it exists in almost every African country. However in Nigeria, there is a very good signal for us, the Nigerian government now pays much more attention to the power sector. Even all of the distribution companies, they are privatized and they even want to privatize more not only the distribution companies even the generation side and the transmission side. That’s the case. I really believe this market has very good potentials and the ICT sector or telecommunication sector in this country will continue to boom, there is no doubt.

What are your key areas of focus apart from building network for operators, your product and services? Are you also looking at building the local content in terms of capacity building and manpower resource training of Nigerians?

Let me say that we are here, though we are a Chinese company but our strategy is not only to use Chinese to even manage our company in Nigeria. Even our Chairman in China had once said, in the future we want local staff to manage our branches in the different countries. One reason is that the issue of culture difference, which is a major challenge for any foreign company. What we do is to get used to the local culture. We try to consider or think about something in a Nigerian way. That’s why we are doing a lot of training for our local staffs, even for the local society. However, we still strongly believe that training is not enough. If you train somebody you have to provide the opportunity for him to practise. If you train somebody and you don’t provide the opportunity for them to practise, sometimes later, he would forget everything easily. But the good thing for us is we give the training to our local staffs, we also give them a lot of opportunities to practise in the field.

With your performance in the smart phones business as number four in the world, why have you been very shy of publicity on your smart mobile devices?

We are number four in the world for smart phone. To make this easy, what you want to ask is why you can’t see ZTE handsets in the market? The reason is that ZTE started with our equipment supplier business and from there, we also grew into the handset business or say devices business. We have a very good relationship with all the big operators in the world. In China we have ChinaMobile, ChinaUnicom, etc. we have so many operating in India and America and so on and so forth. Ninety percent of the terminals (handsets, dangles etc.) we didn’t sell them directly to the consumer market, such as individuals. We sold our handset or smart phones to the operators.

You are involved in the police security project? How far and what is the state now?

We have been involved in the police project since the very beginning; the whole project has been completed and delivered. The system is functioning well and has been tested by the project owners. As the solution provider, we also got all the necessary supporting documents from the government to say that the project is completed and delivered.

The project has five components. The first one is Global Open Trunking Architecture. The second part is the surveillance system which you can see in Lagos and Abuja. The third part is video conferencing which is deployed in 36 states plus FCT and the fifth part is e-policing. It is also for the 36 states plus FCT. It also includes Emergency Collation Centres. All the five components of the project are all functioning very well. Based on the five components of the project, including emergency communication vehicles.

What then is the problem with it? How far has it helped in detecting crimes?

ZTE is proud to say, the system is a modern architecture for public security. It is helping the Nigeria security agencies through their daily communication life. It has helped to arrest some criminals such as robbers, drug peddlers, etc.

With the surveillance system?

Video Surveillance is one part of the project, and it works together with this integrated security communication platform. It is only that all the components working together that the system can come with its powerful capacity.

Why is this not in the public view?

I think … (laughter).

So it’s an issue of security you don’t want to talk about it?

The images by the surveillance cameras have helped to capture criminals but that is a tiny portion of the project, it includes a complete communication system for the security agencies and that is also functioning well.

I’m very interested in the agreement between ZTE and the Nigerian government as to the management of the entire system. The question is how sustainable is it in terms of management now that the contract has been executed. Who manages the entire system, is it ZTE or is it another contractor or is it the Nigeria Police. ?

This project, ZTE is the contractor for just the construction of the network; ZTE is not responsible for operating and maintaining it. The government will determine who manages and maintain the network.

So ZTE role was to build and handover?

Yes!

Let’s come home now; the issue of treatment of workers and relationship between Chinese employers and their Nigerian employees, what is it like in ZTE?

ZTE believes in transparency, it is also same to our employee policy. ZTE Nigeria Limited is one among a few that allows staff to join unions. We even have the ZTE branch of the national union: The National Union of Telecommunications Employees.

They belong to that?

Yes. The union is in constant communication with our management both in Abuja and Lagos. Before we take any action, usually we have proper consultation with the union.

So there has never been any issue of not being allowed to form a union or discrimination and all that?

No, no one! We believe in transparency.

Everybody knows that communication services are really poor in this country, and there have been analysts who allege that one reason for poor service is because the equipment vendors supply low grade equipment, how true is that as an equipment supplier?

ZTE is listed on the stock exchange market, and world leading telecommunication solution provider, we never compromise our quality. I can assure you that the quality control method that ZTE implemented to the Nigerian market is the same as what we implemented in China and even in US or Europe, there is nothing different.

And you are working towards that in Nigeria?

Yes, even 5G, we are working towards that now, not only 4G.

I know you have also considerably invested in cloud computing, I want to ask whether you are exploring opportunities in the Nigerian market for clouds computing. You rightly noted that the Nigerian market is also growing pretty fast and the bandwidth situation is also improving, meaning that cloud could be it.

Cloud computing is what every telecommunication supplier even companies like CISCO, ZTE and other companies are all interested in. The reason is simple; even IBM, Samsung, all the companies, we are concentrating on cloud computing because in the future, maybe in the next 10 years, we are not going to talk about telecommunication anymore because we are talking about cloud computing, we are taking everything because everything will be together.

ZTE Nigeria Limited, a telecoms solutions provider has cleared the air on the alleged use of obsolete equipment in the execution of the $500million contract for the National Public Security Communication System awarded by the Federal Government in 2011.

The Deputy Managing Director, ZTE Nigeria Limited, Brielle Gao, made this disclosure at the weekend when she led a delegation on an official visit to the corporate headquarters of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspaper titles.

Gao who spoke against the backdrop of the raging criticism which has trailed the security contract, acknowledged the fact that the company has been the butt of derisive jokes in some quarters over the contract, even as she insisted that most of those making spurious allegations concerning the status of the contract could not substantiate their claims.

Contrary to widespread allegations of foul play in the contract award, she maintained that the company’s core values would not allow its staff to get involved in shady deals that would bring its name into disrepute.

Shedding more light on the status of the security contract, she recalled that the contract was signed in mid 2011, with equipment shipped into the country in mid 2012.

Besides, she said the hardware was installed in February 2012 while the system became operational in June 2012, adding that as many as 1, 000 security personnel drawn from the National Security Adviser, Nigeria Police among others benefited from different capacity building training both locally and overseas as part of efforts to build the skills set of law enforcement agents across the country.

“The contract was to help the Nigeria police force to build the communication and security system to cover the whole country. The system includes trunking communication network, video surveillance, and conference system coalition emergency response system. We built over 700 base stations. And we have since delivered on the project,” she said.

Expatiating, she said: “ZTE Nigeria Limited which is a subsidiary of ZTE Corporation believes in transparency. As a company quoted on the stock exchange of major stock markets around the world we cannot compromise on quality and standards. As such, what we provide as infrastructure in the over 150 countries where we operate is what we also provide in the different contracts we have handled for public as well as private corporations in the country.”

Gao who was in the company of Adeola Mabifa, Executive Communications Manager, was received by senior editors of The Nation including, Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, Editor, Online and Special Publication, Mr. Olayinka Oyegbile, Deputy Editor, The Nation on Sunday and his counterpart at The Nation on Saturday, Mr. Vincent Akanmode.

Also at the interface and discussion session was Weekend News Editor, Mr. Dapo Olufade.