Canada bans China’s Huawei Technologies, ZTE products from its 5G mobile networks

Canada has decided to exclude the Chinese multinational technology corporation, Huawei from the country's next-generation mobile networks. The Canadian government on Thursday said that wireless providers would not be able to use Huawei equipment in their high-speed 5G networks, further joining allies in barring the massive company. According to the Associated Press report, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne stated, "We are announcing our intention to prohibit the inclusion of Huawei and ZTE products and services in Canada’s telecommunications systems." 

As per Champagne, the wireless providers who already have Huawei equipment installed would be obliged to halt the usage and have to remove it. He also stated that no compensation will be paid to wireless carriers in Canada.  

Further, ZTE Corporation, one of China's largest tech firms and a state-owned enterprise, is also included in Canada's ban.  

It is pertinent to note that Canada was the only nation of the Five Eyes intelligence-pooling group that had not prohibited or limited Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. equipment from being used in its 5G networks. Huawei was previously prohibited by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. 

The biggest wireless operators in Canada have already begun collaborating with other service providers, Associated Press reported.  

Marco Mendicino, the Minister of Public Safety, noted, “There are many hostile actors who are ready to exploit vulnerabilities in our defenses.” Mendicino stated that the government conducted a thorough investigation and is ramping up its efforts to protect Canadians. 

US long pressured Canada to reject Huawei in developing Canada's 5G infrastructure

Apart from this, the US has long pressured Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's administration to reject Huawei in developing Canada's 5G infrastructure, claiming that doing so would be easier for Beijing to eavesdrop on Canadians, PTI reported. However, these charges have been frequently denied by the firm. 

"We are disappointed, but not surprised." Huawei spokesperson Alykhan Velshi expressed astonishment that the Canadian government took a long time to make a decision. "We see this as a political decision, one born of political pressure primarily from the United States,” Associated Press reported. 

The introduction of 5G, or fifth-generation, networks would provide users faster Internet connectivity and would supply large data capacity to satisfy insatiable demand. As more and more devices connect to the internet, technologies such as virtual reality, intense gaming, and driverless cars will emerge. 

Meanwhile, Huawei spokesperson Velshi claimed that the firm employs approximately 1,500 people in Canada, with two-thirds working in research and development. 

Huawei is the world's largest provider of network equipment to phone and internet businesses. It has served as a symbol of China's development toward becoming a technological world power, as well as a source of security and law enforcement concerns in the United States. According to some experts, Chinese corporations have broken international standards and stolen technology, Associated Press reported. 

(Image: AP)