Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (/ˈhwɑːˌweɪ/) is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Shenzhen,Guangdong.^[4] It is the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world, having overtaken Ericsson in 2012.^[5]

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (/ˈhwɑːˌweɪ/) is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Shenzhen,Guangdong.^[4] It is the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world, having overtaken Ericsson in 2012.^[5]

Huawei was founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, a former engineer in the People's Liberation Army. At the time of its establishment Huawei was focused on manufacturing phone switches, but has since expanded its business to include building telecommunications networks; providing operational and consulting services and equipment to enterprises inside and outside of China; and manufacturing communications devices for the consumer market.^[6][7] Huawei has over 140,000 employees, around 46% of whom are engaged in research and development (R&D).^[8][9] It has 21 R&D institutes in countries including China, the United States,^[10] Canada,^[11] UK,^[12] Pakistan, France, Belgium,Germany, Colombia, Sweden, Ireland, India, Russia, and Turkey,^[13][14] and in 2013 invested US$5 billion in R&D.^[15]

In 2014, Huawei recorded profit of 34.2 billion CNY (5.5 billion USD).^[16] Its products and services have been deployed in more than 140 countries and it currently serves 45 of the world's 50 largest telecoms operators.^[17]