Huawei opens new UK headquarters

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world's second-largest telecom equipment vendor by revenue, opened its new UK headquarters on June 11, and the company plans to nearly double UK employment to 1,500 by 2017.

The new UK headquarters is at 300 South Oak Way, Green Park, Reading. Green Park is at the heart of the "M4 corridor", the center of Britain's information, communication and technology sectors.

The new, 13,000-square-meter office complex will house Huawei's main UK operations and will help meet the future needs of the company's growing workforce, according to a Huawei statement.

Cathy Meng, Huawei's executive director of the board and chief financial officer, said the move reaffirms Huawei's long-term commitment to the UK. In September 2012, Huawei said it will invest 650 million pounds ($1.02 billion) and spend a further 650 million pounds on procurement in the UK over the next five years.

"Today's move marks the beginning of an exciting new period of development for Huawei UK. We are on track to fulfill our long-term commitment to the UK," Meng said during the opening ceremony of the new headquarters.

Huawei opened its first office in the UK in 2001. The company now has 800 people in the country. Meng said she expects the figure to reach 1,500 by 2017.

Mark Hoban, the UK's employment minister, said Huawei's investment was significant. "It will bring a welcome jobs boost to the region," he said.