Geopolitics overshadow Huawei's new 5G folding phone at tech show

Allegations by the United States that Chinese technologies pose a cybersecurity risk have cast a pall over the world’s biggest mobile industry trade fair happening this week in Barcelona, Spain.

|
Andy Wong/AP/File
The logos of Huawei are displayed at its retail shop window reflecting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing. Huawei has made moves to control the stagnating smartphone market, but the specter of cybersecurity risks floated by the US government have undercut the Chinese company's global reach.

A global battle between the United States government and Chinese tech company Huawei over allegations that it is a cybersecurity risk will overshadow the opening on Monday of the world's biggest mobile industry trade fair.

Huawei has an outsize presence at MWC Barcelona, a four-day industry showcase of mobile devices and innovations that's expected to draw 100,000 visitors. The focus at this year's meeting is new 5G networks due to roll out in the coming years. But the dispute over Huawei, the world's biggest maker of networking gear, is casting a pall.

The United States government is dispatching a big delegation to press its case with telecom executives and government officials that they should not use Huawei as a supplier over national security concerns. President Trump's administration says the Chinese government could use Huawei equipment to snoop on the world's internet traffic – accusations that Huawei has rejected, saying there has not been a single proven case of a cybersecurity breach.

Huawei's counteroffensive includes making its case directly to government officials, companies, and journalists. It has unveiled a new folding 5G phone and its executives will speak on keynote panels at the show, formerly known as Mobile World Congress, which is a key forum for lobbying and dealmaking.

"The geopolitical tensions between the USA and China will undoubtedly be a hot topic at MWC, particularly in the context of Huawei," said Shaun Collins, CEO of research firm CCS Insight. "There is little doubt that operators around the world are concerned that draconian sanctions on their ability to use Huawei's 5G infrastructure could have detrimental effects on their 5G roll-out plans."

Behind closed doors, US officials have been suggesting that Ericsson of Sweden and Finland's Nokia should be preferred suppliers, but telecom providers like Huawei for its cheap but good quality equipment. That helps lower the cost to customers of using new 5G networks, which promise lightning fast download speeds and less signal lag – advancements that will help develop self-driving cars, factory robots, and remote surgery.

Mr. Trump tweeted last week that he wanted the US to catch up in the 5G race through competition, "not by blocking out currently more advanced technologies." Though he didn't mention China or Huawei, the comments could be seen as a more toned-down approach to the company, which has long been blocked in the US

Huawei's rotating chairman, Guo Ping, told reporters Sunday he was aware of the remarks.

"I have noticed the president's Twitter," said Mr. Guo. "He said that the US needs faster and smarter 5G and even 6G and he has realized that the US is lagging behind in this aspect. I think his message is clear and correct."

Guo repeated the company's oft-stated line that it "will never allow for backdoors in our equipment," and it would never violate laws and regulations in countries where it operates.

US allies in Europe are still making their minds up on allowing Huawei to participate in the 5G rollout and it's not clear if Washington's campaign is having an effect, with some viewing it as a calculation of technical risks rather than as part of a broader battle for tech supremacy between China and the US.

The CEO of Ericsson, Borje Ekholm, said countries face "critical decisions" as they roll out 5G networks.

"As we talk to our customers, they are feeling the uncertainty and they are concerned," Mr. Ekholm told reporters at the MWC show.

British intelligence officials have said they believe they're able to manage the risk of using Huawei's gear, but the government has yet to make a final decision, pending a review expected in the next month or two. Germany officials have said there's no plan to explicitly bar any single manufacturer.

"I believe that all the countries are independent sovereign states, and the political leaders and decision makers in the telecom sector will make independent decisions based on their own understanding of the situation," said Guo. "They will not just listen to someone else's order."

GSMA, an association that represents 750 mobile operators worldwide, is recommending a testing and certification regime for Europe to ensure confidence in network security while "maintaining competition" in equipment supply.

Guo called for the industry and governments to develop "clear and unified" cybersecurity standards and regulations, and said decisions should be made by technical experts rather than politicians.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Geopolitics overshadow Huawei's new 5G folding phone at tech show
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2019/0225/Geopolitics-overshadow-Huawei-s-new-5G-folding-phone-at-tech-show
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe