Huawei Leapfrogging System Integration With TSTT

The Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TSTT) has demonstrated its approach to modernization via integration of technological systems with international telecommunications providers. With the recognition of TSTT’s need to develop an international telecommunication system capable of 95% nation coverage with rich broadband content, Chinese company Huawei leapfrogged into Trinidad and Tobago’s developing market. Huawei achieved what Western providers did not and gained strategic partnership with TSTT in a short period of time, given the government-to-government support for trade, TSTT’s telecommunication demand, and Huawei’s growth plans. Despite the functional advantages derived from Huawei, the partnership was not without risk given the speed and liability of newness of greenfield investments. If the TSTT and Huawei partnership is to be sustainable, we must model the relationship and then identify weaknesses in a bid to remove them. Huawei’s approach to investment in the Latin American and Caribbean region is grounded in the model presented in this article, which follows: the creation of a leapfrog environment, an internationalization strategy, and risk management. The needs of a technology-deprived partner changes as they meet industry standards and investing firms must seek to understand and anticipate future needs or risk competition from an innovative supplier.