Australia Follows US And UK, Imposes Ban On Huawei Products Fearing Chinese Interference

Huawei has been banned from selling technology to Australia’s 5G services, CNN has reported. The announcement follows from concerns of Australian security agencies over connections between Huawei and the Chinese government. Huawei expressed its disappointment over Twitter.

“5G will underpin the development of smart cities and Internet of Things (IoT), and connect industrial control and safety of life systems, like remote surgery, and autonomous vehicles. The Government wants to create an environment that allows Australian businesses to be at the forefront of seizing the benefits of 5G across the economy. To achieve this, the Government is fostering a policy and regulatory environment to support a more efficient rollout, given its potential benefits to the economy. The Government has undertaken an extensive review of the national security risks to 5G networks.”, an Australian government statement said.

Further, the statement went to say that the connection of Huawei with “extrajudicial foreign powers” could jeopardize the security of its 5G internet. Earlier in 2012, Australia had blocked from bidding for a huge Australian national broadband network.

The move has not been welcomed by Australian Telecom industry. “This decision is a significant change which fundamentally undermines Australia's 5G future, and we will consider what it means for our business”, Vodafone's chief strategy officer Dan Lloyd told CNN. Vodafone and Optus, two significant players in the country have tested the equipment of Huwaei before it was banned in the country.

Earlier, the United States and the United Kingdom had both targeted Huawei and another Chinese firm ZTE over concerns of cybersecurity.