New Zealand Carrier Blocked From Using Huawei Equipment

Huawei’s networking equipment is not welcomed in the United States. The administration has already banned its use and it’s reportedly even calling on the nation’s allies to not use Huawei’s equipment. It’s of the view that the company’s products enable the Chinese spy agencies to snoop on foreign targets. New Zealand appears to harbor similar concerns.

Officials in New Zealand have blocked local carrier Spark from using Huawei equipment for the 5G network that it’s setting up. According to its statement, New Zealand’s Director-General of the Government Communications Security Bureau believes that using the Chinese giant’s equipment will “raise significant national security risks.” That’s not all that different from the concerns expressed by the United States and also Australia.

Huawei continues to maintain that the allegations against it are fraud and that its products don’t give any concessions to the Chinese spy agencies. In response to this report, the company said that the process of selecting technology suppliers for 5G networks is still ongoing in New Zealand. It adds that Huawei will “actively address any concerns and work together to find a way forward.”

Government employees, contractors, and agents are already banned from using certain Huawei products. The Pentagon has also banned the sale of Huawei and ZTE smartphones at retailers inside U.S. military bases.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: General
Tags: Huawei