Unfazed by US, Huawei expands in Africa with SA data centre

JOHANNESBURG — Chinese telecommunications company Huawei may be banned in the US over spying concerns, but it has a tremendous presence across the globe, particularly in emerging markets. In fact, right here in South Africa, Huawei doesn't just sell cheap smartphones but it also increasingly powers the infrastructure (cell towers, fibre connections etc) that drive the data to these devices. You just have to drive around major centres such as Johannesburg or Cape Town to see Huawei branded bakkies and trucks doing installations or maintenance services. But Huawei's infrastructure game in South Africa and Africa is about to step up a notch with the launch of a new data centre in Johannesburg in March. The company has plans to further launch a Cape Town data centre as well. – Gareth van Zyl

By Loni Prinsloo

(Bloomberg) – Huawei Technologies plans to roll out services from its first data centre in South Africa in March, as the Chinese technology giant seeks to expand in Africa amid an escalating global row over the security of its equipment.