Canada is banning Chinese telecommunications corporations Huawei and ZTE from its fifth-generation (5G) infrastructure, announced The Canadian government on Thursday.
The step to ban china’s Huawei, and ZTE from 5G networks is over national security concerns.
“Today, the Government of Canada is ensuring the long term safety of our telecommunications infrastructure. As part of that, the government intends to prohibit the inclusion of Huawei and ZTE products and services in Canada’s telecommunications systems” —the minister of innovation, science and industry François-Philippe Champagne said,
while announcing the ban in a statement.
he added, that telecommunications companies operating in Canada will “no longer be permitted to make use of designated equipment or services provided by Huawei and ZTE.
“In the 21st century, cybersecurity is national security. And it’s our government’s responsibility to protect Canadians from growing cyber threats,” he added.
A statement disseminated by Champagne’s department – innovation, science and economic development Canada – noted that given the greater interconnectedness and interdependence of 5G networks, “a breach or exploitation in this environment would have a more significant impact on the safety and security of Canadians and Canadian critical infrastructure than in previous network generations.”
“The Government of Canada has serious concerns about suppliers such as Huawei and ZTE who could be compelled to comply with extrajudicial directions from foreign governments in ways that would conflict with Canadian laws or would be detrimental to Canadian interests.”
