US Urges Other Countries to Exclude Huawei from 5G Networks

“The United States is asking other governments and the private sector to consider the threat posed by Huawei and other Chinese information technology companies. Chinese law requires these firms to support and assist Beijing’s vast security apparatus, without any democratic checks and balances on access to, or use of, data that touches the networks or equipment installed and supported by these companies around the world.”

These remarks were made by Amb. Robert L. Strayer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber and International Communications and Information Policy at the US State Department, who spoke on Tuesday at MWC Barcelona (Formerly Mobile World Congress).

“America is calling on all our security partners to be vigilant and avoid vendors that could compromise the integrity of global communications technology, the privacy and liberty of our citizens, and the security of our critical infrastructure and national security systems. Decisions about infrastructure for 5G will have long-term implications and should not be rushed into.

“Relying on equipment from trusted vendors will not come at the expense of speed of deployment or technological advancement. The United States and likeminded countries have companies that provide world-leading technological solutions in hardware and software across the many use cases for 5G.

In Israel, Huawei was blocked from participating in the country’s tender for fifth-generation mobile networks.