Another Blow For Huawei’s 5G Equipment
The saga continues with Huawei’s equipment. In the latest turn of event Canada’s major carriers have rejected Huawei’s 5G equipment in favors of Western alternatives.
Bell Mobility confirmed on Tuesday that it will use Ericsson’s telecoms gear for its 5G network. The carrier also said back in February that it will use equipment from Finnish rival Nokia.
The other two major Canadian carriers, Telus Mobility and Rogers Wireless have also opted to avoid Huawei’s 5G equipment.
After Bell made it public about its plan, Talus issued a statement made it clear it would use Ericsson and Nokia for its 5G network.
Rogers has currently a long partnership with Ericsson which it said back in 2018 would continue for its 5G network.
The decision of Bell is the most unfavorable for Huawei as the carrier has been one of the most outspoken in their support for the Chinese vendor. However, recent events have likely caused Bell to reassess their position given Huawei’s uncertain future.
While the US has long maintained its stance that Huawei poses a national security threat and is controlled by Beijing, an allegation denied by the company, Canada has historically maintained a neutral stance.
Canada was forced into the crossfire after Canadian authorities detained Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the company’s founder Ren Zhengfei, following a US arrest warrant.
Ms Meng is accused by the US of using Huawei subsidiaries to violate sanctions against Iran. Ms Meng denies the allegations and her lawyer, Richard Peck, claims Canada is being asked “to enforce US sanctions”.
Last week, the Supreme Court in Vancouver ruled that the crimes Ms Meng is charged with in the US would also have been crimes in Canada when she was arrested and a failure to proceed with her extradition case “would seriously limit Canada’s ability to fulfil its international obligations in the extradition context for fraud and other economic crimes.”
This situation has impacted the relationship between the two countries. As a form of retaliation China arrested two Canadians – former diplomat Michael Kovrig, and businessman Michael Spavor. With the current Pandemic that started in China it shades some unflattering closer scrutiny at the country and how businesses are being run as well.
An emergency review announced at the end of May will see the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in the UK evaluate whether additional US sanctions against Huawei will make it difficult to use the Chinese vendor’s technology.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly told officials to create plans to eliminate the use of Huawei’s equipment in national 5G networks by 2023, but the emergency review may set the grounds for that to happen sooner.