And now it’s Canada’s turn to ban Huawei


Canada joins the list of countries that have no intention of leaving any room for Huawei on the 5G network.

The list of countries that have banned Huawei is still growing. This time, it is Canada’s turn to announce the exclusion of the Chinese equipment manufacturer from the national 5G market. This sidelining of the industrial was announced May 19 by François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

Canada aligns itself with its allies

These are security reasons that have been brandished by Ottawa to do without Huawei, the group being suspected of serving the interests of Beijing and of facilitating espionage operations on the networks. ” This follows a thorough review by our independent security agencies and in consultation with our closest allies. writes Mr. Champagne.

Canada’s fears are the same that have led the United States, Japan, Australia, Sweden and New Zealand to make similar arrangements. The United Kingdom and France also have plans to organize Huawei’s gradual exit from the networks, opting for a strategy that is sometimes less frontal than the others, to limit diplomatic friction.

A relay antenna erected by Huawei. // Source: Huawei

Ottawa’s decision is probably not entirely unrelated to the fact that the country is a member of the Five Eyes alliance, which brings together Washington, London, Canberra and Wellington. The prospect of a member of this intelligence alliance somehow going it alone on such a sensitive subject would have caused friction with other states.

Ottawa’s decision came later than those of its partners. A possible explanation is that the country was in diplomatic tension with China a few months ago: two Canadian nationals were being held captive. They were surprisingly released when Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was able to return to China.

The Canadian plan is broken down into several stages. It also applies to ZTE, another Chinese equipment supplier.

  • By September 1, 2022, telecommunications service providers must stop purchasing new 4G or 5G equipment and related services related to Huawei and ZTE;
  • By June 28, 2024, they will have to retire their existing 5G equipment and end the services they manage;
  • By December 31, 2027, it will be prohibited to use any new 4G equipment from Huawei or ZTE or new services they manage; moreover, it will be necessary to remove their existing 4G equipment and terminate the services they manage at the latest.
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Source: Numerama





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