Huawei says US has 'no evidence' of 5G spying allegations

Huawei's chairman said Tuesday that the United States has "no evidence" that its equipment to build next-generation 5G wireless networks could be used as a vehicle for Chinese spy operations.

In a keynote address at the mobile industry's biggest annual global event in Barcelona, Guo Ping reiterated his company's position that there are no "backdoors" in its technology that could allow Beijing to spy on countries.

"The US security accusation against our 5G has no evidence. Nothing. The irony is that the US Cloud Act allow their entities to access data across borders," he said at the Mobile World Congress.

"We don't do bad things. Let me say this as clear as possible. Huawei has not and we will never use backdoors and we will never allow anyone to do so in our equipment. We take this responsibility very seriously," he added, speaking in English.

US President Donald Trump's administration has in recent months ramped up efforts to block Huawei, the leader in 5G, by urging allies to avoid the Chinese powerhouse, claiming that national security interests are at stake.

Washington considers the matter urgent as countries around the world prepare to roll out fifth-generation or 5G networks that will bring near-instantaneous connectivity, vast data capacity and assist futuristic technologies such as self-driving cars.

Network operators seeking to quickly deploy the new wireless networks are in a bind as Huawei's 5G equipment is seen as being considerably more advanced than that of its rivals such as Sweden's Ericsson or Finland's Nokia.

Huawei, China's most successful global firm, says it is 12 months ahead of its rivals in implementing 5G technology.

"Huawei is leading in 5G globally but we understand innovation is nothing without security," said Guo, before adding 5G security standards should be decided by technical experts.

The head of Vodafone, the world's second largest mobile operator, said Monday the United States needed to share any evidence it has about Huawei with European authorities so they can decide whether or not to use the Chinese firm's technology in their 5G networks.

"We need to have a fact-based risk-assessed review," Vodafone chief executive Nick Read told a penal discussion on the opening day of the Barcelona trade show.

He said he had not seen what evidence the United States has to back its claims "but they clearly need to present that evidence to the right bodies throughout Europe."

Australia, New Zealand and Japan have followed Washington's call for a Huawei ban, but the picture in Europe is more nuanced.

Some major countries such as Germany expressing concerns that banning Huawei would cause a considerable setback in Europe's efforts to deploy 5G and stay competitive in communications.

Egypt to host Huawei's first MENA cloud platform: Cairo
Cairo (AFP) Feb 26, 2019 - Egypt will host Chinese telecom company Huawei's first cloud data platform in the Middle East and North Africa, Egypt's telecom ministry said in a statement.

"Huawei will create its own cloud computing through the data centre of Telecom Egypt", a statement by the ministry said Monday, referring to the North African country's state owned telecom company.

The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding to establish Huawei's "first cloud computing in Africa and the Middle East" on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the statement added.

Cloud computing technology is a means of storing and accessing data over the internet instead of on hardware devices.

Huawei is a major seller of handsets in Egypt.

The firm is seeking to expand in Africa -- including through surveillance technology, on a continent where personal data protection laws are less stringent than in Europe.

A report by four human rights groups last July said Egypt had acquired from France powerful digital surveillance tools under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who critics say has launched a wide-ranging crackdown against opponents.

The acquisitions had "helped establish an Orwellian surveillance and control architecture that is being used to eradicate all forms of dissent," said the report, authored by French and local groups, including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

Egypt's telecom ministry said the MoU with Huawei covers only "services to individuals and small and medium enterprises" and does not extend to governmental services.

In the last year, the United States has stepped up pressure on its allies to block Huawei from building 5G networks, alleging its technology could be exploited by China's government to carry out espionage -- a claim strongly denied by the telecom giant.

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China's telecom dominance a security challenge: UK's GCHQ
Singapore (AFP) Feb 25, 2019
China's global dominance in telecommunications networks could pose security threats for decades, Britain's cybersecurity chief warned in a speech in Singapore on Monday. As countries move to roll out ultra-fast fifth-generation - 5G - mobile networks, concerns are mounting that Beijing could use hardware provided by Chinese firms to spy on Western governments. "The strategic challenge of China's place in the era of globalised technology is much bigger than just one telecommunications equipmen ... read more