Huawei Looks for Growth in IT Services 华为在IT服务领域寻求增长机遇

By newsdoug on April 19, 2011

Huawei Technologies 2010 results are just out, and while they might make more established companies like Ericsson (Stockholm: ERICb) and Nokia Siemens Networks jealous they certainly aren’t all that exciting. The company saw 2010 profit and revenue rise 30 percent and 24 percent, respectively — respectable numbers but not nearly as exciting as some of the explosive growth we’ve seen in the past. (English article; Chinese article) Hidden in the detailed report was the intriguing assertion that Huawei wants to add more profitable IT services to its portfolio in a bid to keep its growth going. I use the word “intriguing” because, to the best of my knowledge, none of Huawei’s rivals in either the networking equipment or cellphone spaces have taken this route. My guess is that networking equipment is too specialized for such services, while cellphones are too consumer oriented. That said, Huawei’s foray into this venture seems destined to face a tough road ahead, and in the end it will probably have to abandon the effort and look for other new areas for growth.

Bottom line: Huawei’s foray into IT services will end up a disappointment, with the company facing a future of slow growth as its traditional hardware businesses mature.

华为刚刚公布2010年财报，虽然足以令爱立信<ERICb.ST>和诺基亚西门子网络艳羡不已，但其实也不算多么振奋人心。华为2010年利润和营收分别增长30%和24%，算是业绩不俗，但与过去爆炸式增长相比，不过尔尔。华为希望加强利润率更高的IT服务领域，以保持高速增长。我觉得很好奇，因为据我了解，华为无论是在网络设备领域还是手机领域的竞争对手，都未尝试这样的模式。我猜，这大概是因为，对IT服务来说，网络设备领域太过专业化，而手机业务又太以消费者为导向。因此华为的这个尝试必将困难重重，最终可能不得不放弃，另辟新的增长领域。

一句话：随着华为传统的硬件业务趋於成熟，华为未来面临增长缓慢的风险，而华为进军IT服务领域的尝试，可能以失望告终。