Canada’s major carriers have opted against using Huawei’s 5G equipment, choosing instead Western suppliers for their next-generation networks.
On Tuesday, Bell Mobility confirmed it will deploy Ericsson’s telecommunications equipment for its 5G rollout. The carrier had previously announced in February that it would also use gear from the Finnish vendor Nokia.
The country’s other leading providers—Telus Mobility and Rogers Wireless—have reached the same conclusion and will not incorporate Huawei’s 5G kit into their networks.
Within hours of Bell’s announcement, Telus declared it would source 5G infrastructure from Ericsson and Nokia as well.
Rogers’ stance has been consistent for some time: the company maintains a long-running partnership with Ericsson and confirmed in 2018 that this relationship would continue as it transitions to 5G.
Bell’s move is particularly significant for Huawei because the carrier had been one of the more vocal supporters of the Chinese vendor. Recent developments and uncertainty surrounding Huawei’s future appear to have prompted Bell to revise its strategy.
Geopolitical factors
The United States has long argued that Huawei represents a national security threat and may be influenced by the Chinese government—an allegation Huawei denies. Canada, historically more neutral, found itself drawn into the dispute after Canadian authorities detained Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in response to a US extradition request.
Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, faces US allegations that she used Huawei subsidiaries to evade sanctions against Iran. She denies the charges. Her lawyer, Richard Peck, has argued that Canada is being asked to “enforce US sanctions.”
In a ruling last week, the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver found that the offences Meng faces in the US would also have constituted crimes in Canada at the time of her arrest. The court said failing to proceed with extradition would “seriously limit Canada’s ability to fulfil its international obligations in the extradition context for fraud and other economic crimes.”
The case has strained Canada–China relations. In apparent retaliation for Meng’s detention, Chinese authorities arrested two Canadian citizens: former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor.
“Canada has an independent judicial system that functions without interference or override by politicians,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “China doesn’t work quite the same way and doesn’t seem to understand that.”
Beyond the Meng case, several developments have intensified scrutiny of China’s global influence, including concerns about Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, perceived erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy, trade disputes, threats toward Taiwan, and other actions seen as destabilizing.
After a multi-year security review, the UK government announced in February it would permit limited use of Huawei equipment in its 5G networks, subject to strict constraints: Huawei components could account for no more than 35 percent of any operator’s Radio Access Network and must be kept away from sensitive sites such as military installations and nuclear facilities.
However, amid worsening relations with China and strong pushback from allies, parliamentarians, think tanks, and human rights groups, the UK has since signalled a potential reversal of that decision.
An emergency review announced in late May tasks the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) with evaluating whether additional US sanctions on Huawei would make continued use of the company’s technology impractical. Reports suggest Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked officials to prepare options to remove Huawei equipment from national 5G networks by 2023; the ongoing review could accelerate that timeline.
(Photo by Ryan on Unsplash)
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