Leading networking and telecommunications manufacturer Huawei and Intcomex launched their partnership to build the presence of the Huawei brand in the Jamaican market and the region on Tuesday night.

The event took place at J Wray & Nephew’s Dominica Drive office in New Kingston, with Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Dr Andrew Wheatley as main speaker, and Huawei Technologies Sales Director Damion Burnett updating the packed room on Huawei’s growth and projections.

Dr Wheatley welcomed the partnership as “two great companies” teaming to deliver information and communications technology (ICT) solutions to Jamaicans and the region.

He said that the move provided an opportunity for a partnership in line with Government’s commitment to the development of ICT as a major pillar of its policy for economic growth and development.

”If we are to achieve ‘5-in-4’, ICT needs to play more than just a significant role; it needs to be one of the cornerstones of our economic growth and development,” Wheatley said.

“It is a pleasure to have Huawei partnering with Intcomex, a company with a regional reach, and I am sure they are looking to expand outside of the region,” he added.

Burnett introduced Huawei as the “biggest brand in the world”, and to support his claim he informed the crowd that the company’s sales figures last year showed that revenues increased by 70 per cent and the company actually made US$20 billion in profits.

He said that Huawei has shipped more than 100 million devices as of last month, with its ‘Mate 8’ selling one million units in the first week of its launch, with back orders stretching back as much as six months and “people willing to pay as much as US$1,300 for the Mate 8”.

“What else is special about it? It has a two-year guarantee, and if you break the screen accidentally, Huawei will replace it free of charge in the first year of the warranty,” he pointed out.

He also noted that the phone’s battery has two days’ use and a power bank for reversed charging, as well as two sim card slots to handle both post-paid and prepaid service at the same time.

Huawei has been making great strides since establishing a presence in Jamaica nearly nine years ago.

The partnership with Intcomex is intended to solidify its position in the local market, with its go to market platform of value-added solutions and technology products.

“By combining Huawei’s expertise in advanced smartphone development with Intcomex’s vision of strengthening Huawei’s presence through its reseller channel, we can define exciting new opportunities for getting our name out to the public in a broader way,” said Huawei’s Marketing and Public Relations Manager Chrysta Walker.

She said that the first co-innovation focus would be the stability of Huawei in Jamaica, which would bring a new approach to combining Intcomex’s direct relationship with over 80 branded vendors and hundreds of generic manufacturers.

“This new offer represents our belief that the future of smartphone market is with Huawei, and we hope to be hand in hand with Huawei as they cross the finish line,” said Intcomex’s Product and Marketing Manager Sheryl Simpson.

Intcomex operates in more than 15 countries in the region and boasts an active reseller channel of over 1,500 partners.

Intcomex believes that this will impact Huawei’s bottom line significantly as both companies embark on their journey together.

Intcomex is a leading privately held group of companies focusing on the distribution of microcomputer, networking and connectivity-related products and accessories into the Latin American and Caribbean regions.