Huawei Technologies Co Ltd will start operating cloud services in South Africa in December, making it the first company in the world to offer public cloud services via local data centers in the African continent.

The company said it is deploying a regional data center in Johannesburg, South Africa, from which its cloud services can cover neighboring countries and regions. More data centers are also in the pipeline to extend its reach in the continent.

Deng Tao, vice president of Huawei's cloud business unit, said "Huawei has been in Africa for more than 20 years, serving 56 countries and regions. We are growing up with the continent and helping countries achieve 'leapfrog' development with information and communication technologies."

The move is part of Huawei's broader efforts to take its cloud services to the global stage. Its services are already available in a string of countries and regions including Thailand, Russia and Hong Kong.

As for Europe, Huawei is partnering with local telecom carriers such as Telefonica and Orange SA, building up their public cloud capability with the help of Huawei technology. The Shenzhen-based company is leveraging its years of partnership with foreign telecom carriers to better localize cloud services.