Canada has announced that two of China’s largest telecoms equipment manufacturers will be barred from working on its 5G phone networks.
The country’s industry minister announced the limitations on Huawei and ZTE on Thursday.
According to Francois-Philippe Champagne, the action will improve Canada’s mobile internet services and “defend Canadians’ safety and security.”
Several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, have already placed limitations on the companies. The four countries, along with Canada, form the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence-sharing agreement. During the Cold War, it was used to monitor the Soviet Union and share sensitive intelligence.
Canada’s action was widely anticipated, given that its partners had already excluded Huawei and ZTE from their own high-speed networks.
Mr Champagne told reporters in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, that the decision was made after “a thorough evaluation by our security services and consultation with our closest partners.”
“Let me be clear: We will always protect the safety and security of Canadians, and we will take all measures required to protect our telecommunication infrastructure,” he continued.
“In a 5G future, at a time when we rely on our network more and more in our daily lives, this is the proper decision.”
According to Reuters, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa sees Canada’s security worries as a “pretext for political manipulation.”
China’s representative also accused Canada of collaborating with the US to suffocate Chinese businesses.
The fifth generation, or 5G, of mobile internet networks promises substantially higher data download and upload speeds. It also enables more devices to connect to the internet at the same time. It comes as data usage soars, thanks to the growing popularity of video and music streaming. Governments and cell phone network operators are being pushed to enhance their telecommunications infrastructure.
The decision by the Canadian government implies that Huawei and ZTE equipment will no longer be allowed in the nation.
Mr Champagne stated that companies that have previously installed Chinese-made equipment must now remove it.
In September of 2018, Canada announced an assessment of Huawei equipment.
Governments in the United States and other Western countries have targeted some of China’s largest technology and telecoms companies in recent years due to national security concerns.
President Joe Biden of the United States signed legislation in November prohibiting corporations deemed to be security concerns from obtaining new telecoms equipment licenses in the country.
It means Huawei, ZTE, and three other Chinese companies’ equipment cannot be used in US telecom networks.