U.S. warnings about Huawei fall on deaf ears according to internal memos
Chinese manufacturer Huawei is considered a national security threat in the U.S., and its phones are not offered by any of the major U.S. wireless carriers. However, north of the border in Canada, Huawei handsets are sold by Bell Mobility and its Virgin Mobile Canada prepaid unit. Not only are some Canadian consumers concerned about the security aspects of owning a Huawei phone, many in the country are up in arms about the 13 Canadians that have been detained in China since the arrest in Vancouver last month of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou.
"The debate around Huawei involves the potential use of its wireless infrastructure equipment in new 5G (Fifth Generation) wireless networks, which have yet to be launched. There are no concerns about the Huawei smartphones offered to Canadian consumers by Virgin Mobile/Bell and most other wireless providers."-Internal Bell Mobility memo
Bell isn't the only Canadian carrier that is currently doing business with Huawei. Telus, based in Vancouver, is using Huawei networking equipment for the 5G network that it is building despite warnings from U.S. lawmakers. Last week, an internal Telus memo praised Huawei as "a viable and reliable participant in the Canadian telecommunications space, bolstered by globally leading innovation, comprehensive security measures, and new software upgrades."
The U.S. government worries that back doors in Huawei products spy on consumers and corporations, and send this data to the communist government in China. This has recently been denied by the company's founder Ren Zhengfei.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: