Huawei Technologies Corporation: from local dominance to global challenge?

Purpose – The paper aims to identify the challenges faced by Huawei Technologies, China's biggest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, as it makes the transition from an indigenously‐owned business to a potentially competitive global giant. Design/methodology/approach – This is an inductive, interpretative case study complimented by hands‐on experience with the industry. Findings – The paper finds that Huawei lies at a crossroads in a transitional telecommunication sector that is no longer isolated from global reforms and advancement. Through internationalisation the company has learned to compete by adjusting their mechanisms, learning instruments and focus. Originality/value – The paper is useful for practitioners in that it shows how indigenous companies in latecomer industrialising countries like China can overcome the late mover position in some of the advanced markets they have entered. For academics it highlights the role of government in helping to construct competitive indigenous firms that could take on global giants.