Huawei sets up $3m telecom lab at Buet

Chinese telecom equipment vendor Huawei has set up a wireless communication laboratory at a cost of $3 million at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) to help local telecom talents carry out training and research.

Buet Vice Chancellor AMM Safiullah yesterday inaugurated the laboratory established at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at the university.

The Buet authorities felt the urge to set up such a laboratory for its students last year and sought financial assistance from telecom industry stakeholders. Later, only Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) Ltd came forward and signed a deal with the Department of EEE in June last year.

As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), Huawei supplied required equipment and trained some faculty members to run the laboratory.

Local graduates who earlier used to go to Malaysia and China to have practical experience about wireless telephony will be benefited from the facility.

"The tendency of going abroad for taking training will be minimised," said the Buet vice chancellor at the inauguration.

"Buet is one of the leading engineering universities in South Asia. So it's the responsibility of the university to provide students with global standard facilities," he said.

“The laboratory will serve the pressing needs for training and development of our local talents and will contribute greatly towards the development of telecom sector in the country," said Safiullah.

"We are honoured to partner with Buet,” said Wonder Wang, deputy chief representative of Huawei Bangladesh. "This initiative is certainly a milestone to create technical expert in Bangladesh," Wang added.

Around 120 electrical and electronic engineers pass from EEE department each year.

Liu Sanzhen, cultural councillor of Chinese embassy to Bangladesh, Asif Zaman, director (HR and Administration) for Huawei, and Dr Aminul Hoque, head of EEE department, among others, were present at the programme.