Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man provide China's tech giants with opportunities

More and more Chinese technology firms are winning contracts to build network infrastructure in Europe, one prime example being the United Kingdom's Channel Islands, as a direct result of investment in technological evolution and innovation.

This is changing perceptions and expectations of China as it changes emphasis from a manufacturing-based economy to an emerging economy based on technological innovation and industrial evolution in products and services, industrial experts say.

Huawei beat four other competitors to win a contract last year from Sure, a large offshore islands telecommunications company, to upgrade its LTE/4G network in Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man. The rollout and deployment of the network were completed in seven months without any difficulties, Sure says.

"We evaluated Huawei on the technology, the commercial proposition and the ability to 'future proof' our investment. From a shortlist of five global contenders we short-listed to three, and Huawei was the successful vendor," says Graham Hughes, Sure's Jersey chief executive.

Sure has a strong relationship with Huawei, a key supplier of both its mobile and fixed infrastructure.

Hughes thinks it is inevitable that Chinese companies will win more contracts elsewhere as the barriers and perceived problems of working with Chinese manufacturers and suppliers diminish.

He sees China as a real innovator in telecommunications and technology and says its "power and capacity to keep pushing the boundaries forward and also the quality of the product are clear differentiators for us in making our choice of vendor".

Sure has provided the telecommunications infrastructure for several local legal, trust and e-commerce businesses operating in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, including in Beijing and Shanghai.

In Jersey alone, Chinese partners are now providing two of the three mobile networks.