Canada Bans ZTE and Huawei Network Infrastructure Citing National Security Concerns
It was just a few years ago when Chinese technology megafirms ZTE and Huawei were on top of the world. They sold Android phones around the world and were major suppliers of 4G and 5G network equipment. Today, both forms have been widely sanctioned due to their ties with the Chinese government, and now Canada is joining with its allies in booting both companies from mobile networks. Telecom companies in Canada will no longer be able to purchase infrastructure from the companies, and they will have to remove what they have in the coming years.
Pressure on ZTE and Huawei ratcheted up early in the Trump years, but this is one policy that has carried onto the Biden administration. Large businesses in China are often tightly integrated with the Chinese government and intelligence service. There’s even a provision in the Chinese National Intelligence Law that can be used to require organizations and individuals to cooperate with the state’s intelligence agencies.
The US and the rest of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance claim that means China can force these companies to hand over user information and program backdoors for espionage. China claims this is a misunderstanding of its laws, but it’s not that dissimilar from mechanisms that exist in US law. For example, US companies cannot even reveal if they’ve received a National Security Letter from the government, which requires them to divulge information. The Five Eyes member states have all agreed to ban ZTE and Huawei equipment to prevent a similar scheme from harvesting data and delivering it to China.
Canada is the last of the Five Eyes members to take action. The US began requiring telecoms to remove Huawei and ZTE hardware several years ago, a process that is projected to cost billions of dollars. Australia and New Zealand acted shortly after the US, and the UK banned Huawei and ZTE equipment in 2020 with the aim of eliminating it entirely by 2027. In Canada, telecoms are now required to have all 5G networking equipment from ZTE and Huawei gone by June 28th, 2024. The timeline for older 4G infrastructure is a bit more lax, extending to the end of 2027.
Chinese networks BCE and Telus have reportedly been slowing their purchase of Huawei and ZTE equipment in anticipation of the ban, but there’s still a lot of hardware going in the dumpster. This is, apparently, the price of security.
Continue reading
Scientists Confirm Viking Settlement in Canada 1,000 Years Ago
Many of us grew up hearing the tale of Columbus and his discovery of the "New World." Never mind there were already people living there, it was new to Europeans. But was it? For decades, archaeologists have been poring over an ancient Viking settlement in Canada, but a firm date has remained elusive until now.
California to Become First State to Install Solar Panels Over Water Canals
The panels will generate clean energy while helping to reduce water loss in the increasingly dry state.
Canada Is Working On the World’s Largest Geothermal Solar Lagoon
The tourist destination will include an open-air lagoon, two residential villages, and a restaurant—all supported by an “energy ecosystem” that includes geothermal power.
One of the Best-Preserved Dinosaurs Of All Time Found in Canada
When we think of dinosaur fossils, we often think of footprints preserved in sandstone, or bones carefully displayed inside a museum. But what about mummified dinosaurs?