In this article:
- Canada is banning companies from using Huawei and ZTE 5G technologies
- Canada is the last of the Five Eyes countries to ban the China-based tech companies
- The U.S. has led the effort against Huawei, arguing that the Chinese government could infiltrate the businesses and use them to spy
Canada became the fifth of the Five Eyes to ban certain Chinese technology last week.
Become the best CRMer you can:
CRM Hack: Monitoring the User’s Heartbeat
What Does It Mean to Treat a Customer’s Email With Respect?
To Lock or Not to Lock Customers (into CRM Journeys)
What the Efforts to Promote Responsible Gaming Look Like Form the Inside
The Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing network that consists of Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. All five countries have now banned the use of China-based Huawei Technologies and ZTE 5G hardware in their respective countries in the name of national security. Any company using their 5G technologies must get rid of them by June 2024. And any company using their 4G technology must stop doing so by the end of 2027.
The U.S. has spearheaded the movement of the Five Eyes against China’s telecom networks. The five countries are banning Huawei and ZTE from the newly developed, super fast 5G networks over concerns that China’s communist government could influence those companies to commit cyberespionage. “We see this as a political decision, one born of political pressure primarily from the United States,” said Alykhan Velshi, a spokesperson for Huawei, in response to the new ban out of Canada.
Canada had long been expected to join the Five Eyes in their ban on Huawei and ZTE. Telecom companies in Canada had reportedly already started planning for the ban by starting to work with other companies on 5G. Still, Canada has roughly 1,500 Huawei workers living there, according to Velshi.
5G is the latest iteration of wireless internet access, and it’s expected to bring bigger channels, lower latency, and the ability to better connect to many more devices at the same time. Ultimately, 5G is designed to make the internet experience more seamless. Huawei is the biggest supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies, globally.
China, the U.S., and Canada found themselves in a conflict last year over Huawei. A Huawei executive named Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada by the U.S. over fraud allegations. China then responded by arresting two Canadian citizens. The two countries later exchanged their prisoners.
Canada is expecting China to respond to the ban on Chinese tech soon, says Canada’s Industry Minister, François-Philippe Champagne.