U.S. Government Pressures Allies to Shun Huawei in 5G Contracts, Report Says

The U.S. government is reaching out to allies in countries such as Germany, Italy, and Japan to try to pressure the local wireless and internet providers to avoid using telecom equipment from Chinese manufacturer Huawei. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal citing unidentified sources, U.S. officials are concerned about security risks, particularly in countries where the U.S. has military bases. The Journal said that while the Department of Defense has its own satellite networks for sensitive and classified communications, most of the traffic at military installations is carried by the local telecom provider. Sources that spoke with the Journal said that the U.S. government is even considering increasing financial aid for telecom development in countries that do not use equipment from Huawei. The government’s decision to get involved in the equipment purchases made by telecom companies in other countries comes at a time when many network operators are preparing to upgrade their networks to 5G. This transformation will include purchasing new hardware and software from companies like Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung.