Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei announced plans to double the number of its employees in Europe in the next few years, and the company will build a new smartphone research and development center in Finland.
Two months ago, the company was accused of spying in the U.S. In addition, the company's bid for a USD38 billion network project in Australia was rejected, attributing to unknown security risks.
According to reports in foreign media, Huawei's spokesperson said that the facts have proved that the European region is an open business market for the company.
Huawei said in the next three to five years, the company plans to increase the number of its employees in Europe to 14,000. At present, the Chinese company has about 7,000 employees in Europe. Meanwhile, it will invest EUR70 million in the next five years to build a new research and development center in Finland. This will reportedly be Huawei's 11th R&D center in Europe and it will focus on smartphone technologies.
In 2011, Huawei's revenue from mobile devices accounted for 22% of its total revenue, and the remaining revenue was mainly from router and other communication equipment sectors.