Left to the United States, Huawei’s 5G technology will not be deployed around the world, but its allies are not convinced that the firm plans to use the technology to spy for the Chinese government. Soon, Nigeria and many European countries will start enjoying the benefits of the super-fast fifth-generation technology, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU.
Muhammad Maihaja, a student of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, loves Information and Communication Technology (ICT). His love for ICT ascended a different cloud when he and others emerged winners of the Huawei ICT national competition. Maihaja and his colleagues are warming up to represent Africa in an ICT competition in China, the home of Huawei— the technical backbone of all mobile telecommunications firms in Nigeria.
“The Huawei ICT competition has made me go beyond what I knew. This platform has given Nigerian youths opportunities to showcase their talents in ICT on a continental and global level, which is good for the future of the development of ICT in Nigeria,” the ABU undergraduate said.
One of the innovations from Huawei, which has excited Maihaja is the fifth generation technology, also known as 5G. Incidentally, as the undergraduate and others prepare for the global contest, Huawei, their benefactor, is shrugging off a row with the United States government over this technology seen by Maihaja and many others as ground-breaking.
Huawei, the world’s largest maker of telecom equipment, has witnessed the United States prohibiting its agencies and contractors from buying Huawei equipment. But over 30 countries have awarded Huawei contracts to build its next-generation infrastructure.
Yesterday, serving and past Pentagon leaders warned about the risks to future military operations posed by allies in Europe and Asia using Chinese technology in their 5G wireless telecommunications networks pioneered by Huawei, a Chinese firm.
In a statement, they said: “While our concern is for future operations, the time for action is now,” said the leaders, who include retired Adm. James Stavridis and retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, the two most recent commanders of NATO and U.S. European Command; retired Adm. Samuel Locklear III, former head of U.S. Pacific Command; and a former director of national intelligence, retired Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr.
“As military leaders who have commanded U.S. and allied troops around the world, we have grave concerns about a future where a Chinese-developed 5G network is widely adopted among our allies and partners.’’
But their intervention came at a time the United States President Donald Trump’s move against the telecommunication giant suffered a major setback. Reports yesterday showed that many European nations are unwilling to join Trump’s clamour for the boycott of Huawei’s fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless networks.
Trump had argued that Huawei was a significant security threat. But the European countries he was banking on to break Huawei’s back believe the threat can be managed. They also seem to believe Huawei’s statement that it had no plan of using its technology to spy on the world on behalf of the Chinese government.
Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Huawei, accused the United States of having political motivations in levelling criminal charges against the company.
A Washington Post report said Trump’s move stumbled because some of America’s closest allies rejected it. Britain, Germany, India and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries that have given signs they might not back the American effort to stop Huawei’s 5G networks. Though Britain shares the United States’ concerns, the security risks, said its officials, would be managed by scrutinising the company and its software.
Mike Rogers, a Huawei critic and former Republican congressman who led the House Intelligence Committee, said: “It is looking dicey. We are running out of runway.”
Huawei, EU and rising profits
European wireless networks depend largely on Huawei. Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom use Huawei’s equipment, making a widespread ban difficult.
Caroline Nagtegaal, a member of European Parliament from the Netherlands, said: “I’m not sure a ban is the solution. We have to be very careful making a step like that.”
“We’ve not seen any evidence of backdoors into the network,” said Vodafone’s most senior lawyer in the U.K. “If the Americans have evidence, please put it out on the table.”
Huawei at the weekend announced that its profits rose by 25 per cent. Its 2018 profits stand at $8.8 billion. It shipped 206 million smartphones last year and sales were up 45 per cent compared with 2017.
Guo Ping, the chairman of Huawei, told reporters while releasing the results that: “The U.S. government has got a loser’s attitude. They want to smear Huawei because they can’t compete with us.”
In a piece for the Financial Times last month, Guo said the United States was opposed to Huawei because the more its equipment was installed around the world, the more it “hampers U.S. efforts to spy on whomever it wants.”
In an editorial on Tuesday, The Washington Post said: “In a recent newspaper advertisement, the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei appealed to common sense. The company, which just announced a banner year with more than $100 billion in revenue, makes smartphones, as well as equipment for the forthcoming 5G ultra-fast networks. It has long been viewed by the U.S. government as a security risk because of ties to China’s government. In the ad, published in the Wall Street Journal, the company lamented ‘misunderstandings’ about it and insisted, “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Also, PC Magazine, in a report yesterday, said: “Huawei has been on a seemingly unstoppable path to becoming a world leader not just in smartphone production but also in the implementation of 5G. Though the company is now facing bans in the United States, Australia, and Japan and could soon face similar restrictions in Canada, India, and other countries, the backlash is not threatening to diminish its dominance, so far. In fact, Huawei remains the largest producer of telecommunications equipment and posted $100 billion in revenue for 2018 and record sales of its smartphones.
“Whether the allegations against Huawei are correct or not, the United States is coming to terms with the company’s role in telecommunications worldwide as it has been unable to get allies in Europe and other countries to institute bans.”
Interestingly, Forbes contributor Zak Doffman in an article titled “Did the U.S. just concede defeat in its war with Huawei?” said: “Two weeks ago, I suggested that Huawei had won its battle with Washington, and now that seems to have been confirmed by U.S. officials. ‘We are going to have to figure out a way in a 5G world that we’re able to manage the risks in a diverse network that includes technology that we can’t trust,’ conceded Sue Gordon, the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, at a conference in Texas last week.
“The U.S. official was clearly referring to Huawei. And the message was equally clear. The U.S. has failed to spark a global prohibition on the Chinese manufacturer’s 5G equipment, which they claim carries a major security risk given alleged company links to the government in Beijing.
“As to how all of this will actually work in practice, without destroying the West’s intelligence sharing arrangements? ‘We’re just going to have to figure that out,’ Gordon said. As reported in the Washington Post, the U.S. is now having to plan for a world where Huawei maintains its dominant position in networking equipment as countries shift to 5G. And, consequently, ‘you have to presume a dirty network,’ Gordon explained. ‘That’s what we’re going to have to presume about the world.’”
As Huawei makes headway
On Friday, Huawei rotating chairman Guo Ping said: “The U.S. government has a loser’s attitude. It wants to smear Huawei because it cannot compete against Huawei. I hope the U.S. can adjust its attitude.”
Huawei’s Annual Report said the company has “made cybersecurity and privacy protection our top priorities since 2018. Over the past three decades, we have worked closely with our carrier customers to build over 1,500 networks in more than 170 countries and regions. Together, we have connected more than three billion people around the world, and we have maintained a solid track record in security throughout.”
The company said in 2018, it launched the industry’s first full range of 5G end-to-end commercial products and solutions that comply with 3GPP standards. “In addition, we conducted 5G tests with 182 carriers worldwide, signed more than 30 commercial contracts for 5G, and shipped more than 40,000 5G base stations to markets around the world,” it added.
Huawei and Nigeria
Preparatory to introducing the much-anticipated technology in Nigeria, Huawei building the capacity of technical hands. One of such is its partnership with universities. Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited’s Managing Director Zhang Lulu said it is working with more than 40 universities to ensure digital inclusion in Nigeria.
The firm in partnership with the universities is establishing Huawei Authorised Information and Network Academy (HAINA).
Through the academy, recognised ICT certification in subjects, such as Networks, Routing and Switching is being provided.
Lulu said: “Apart from increased connectivity, Huawei is also committed to building skills at all levels of the society, by working with universities and other partners to foster ICT talents and training ICT practitioners.
“The company has trained more than 20,000 ICT engineers, who have become the main workforce, to guarantee the network running of the country.”
Lulu added that the firm was committed to achieving a fully connected and digitally inclusive Nigeria, adding that the company was focussed on enhancing availability, accessibility and affordability of ICT services in Nigeria.
He said Huawei was boosting ICT infrastructure with quality and innovative solutions, tailored to local needs and equipping the youths with ICT knowledge and skills.
“As a leading global ICT solutions provider, Huawei has been witnessing, participating and being a part of what has happened in the ICT development in Nigeria.
“Since starting operations in Nigeria in 1999, Huawei has been working with local operators to providing safe, stable and high-quality communication networks in the country; currently covering about half of the population,” he said.
The managing director observed that the adoption of communication technology had grown all over Nigeria, with over 80 per cent of the citizens already covered by communication networks.
”Huawei remains committed to working with carriers and local partners to reach the remaining unconnected areas, especially remote rural areas in the coming years,” Lulu said.
More investment in Nigeria
Huawei Enterprise Nigeria Chief Executive Officer Tank Li, who expressed his delight at the growth of ICT in Nigeria, said the company plans to deepen its investment in the country. He made the disclosure at the Huawei Nigeria Eco-Connect 2019 in Lagos.
Li said: “Our partners are the most important platform. Huawei is willing and ready to share the profit with its local partners for a sustainable ecosystem, where all partners can grow together.”
“Today, I feel really amazed. Three years ago, we only had 20 or a maximum of 25 channel partners in this kind of event, but today, we have more than 500 channels registered. This shows the great confidence that we put in this country, Nigeria. It is still the biggest economic entity on the African continent.”
Li added that Huawei would create an ecosystem around its partners to further develop the Nigerian market.
He said: “In our enterprise business, our core value is really to build an ecosystem with our partners together. In 2019, we will raise our connection with the partners’ ecosystem and we will call it ‘Huawei Insight’, that means we will enlarge our collaboration with all the partners.”
Huawei Cloud Business Unit Vice President Edward Deng, who was represented at the Eco-Connect 2019 by Mr Olusoji Adeyemo, explained that the company was ready to assist the Federal Government to transform the energy, finance and agricultural sectors, among others.
He said: “Africa is one of the most diverse and promising emerging markets globally with tremendous potential and cloud services are expected to unleash the latent capacity and drive the growth in the country.
“We are looking forward to Huawei Cloud’s innovative technologies and services, such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence assisting African and by extension the Nigerian government, carriers, and enterprises in a variety of industries such as finance, energy, agriculture, to leapfrog to a fully-connected, intelligent era.”
What next?
As the world salivates for the fifth generation technology, all eyes are on the United States. Will it come up with an alternative to Huawei’s or buy in? Time will tell.