Huawei is recognizing Myanmar as one of its key markets by partnering with the country's top IT distributor. (Photo : Getty Images)
Huawei is gaining ground in Myanmar after announcing its partnership with KMD, the country's top IT distribution company.
The Chinese company announced recently that it is tapping KMD to be the official distributor for its products in Myanmar, which is one of the world's rapidly growing handset markets today.
The country has about 90 percent mobile phone penetration rate, affirming Huawei's "strategic commitment to Myanmar as a key market," China Daily reported.
Currently, Huawei has the "highest brand power" in the country "for its ability to boost sales or gain market share," China Daily wrote, citing a brand research called "Spotlight on Myanmar" by Millward Brown and WPP. Researchers interviewed 1,660 consumers and covered 42 regional and international brands.
Huawei's brand power is indexing 436, higher than its global average score of 81. Its performance in Myanmar is better than in its home market China, the news website wrote.
Huawei has been assisting Myanmar with its information and communication technology (ICT) resources for some years.
In 2014, Huawei inked a memorandum of understanding with the Science and Technology Departments of Myanmar to establish Huawei Authorized Information, Network Academy (HAINA) and develop the country's ICT resources.
HAINA targets to harness human resources in Myanmar with Huawei's ICT globally. The first HAINA was inaugurated in Thanlyin University of Science and Technology in Yangon last February. This is the 147th academy unveiled by Huawei out of the 140 HAINAs set up in more than 20 countries worldwide.
The emerging market of Myanmar bodes well for Huawei, which has been looking for other opportunities as competition gets tighter and the smartphones space becomes more saturated back at home.
Myanmar is also being hailed as the "last true telecoms greenfield in Asia," per Oxford Business Group, with international companies competing for operating licenses and foreign brands attempting to tap its burgeoning mobile subscribers.
