BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao on Friday told journalists that the government will not exclude Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co from operating a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecoms network in Latin America's largest economy.

The United States has asked countries to reject Huawei technology in the development of new mobile phone networks, arguing that it could be vulnerable to Chinese eavesdropping. Huawei denies its equipment is a security risk.

U.S. President Donald Trump raised the issue with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a White House visit in March.

But Mourao, who met with Huawei Chief Executive Ren Zhengfei on a trip to China last month, said Brazil has no plans to bar Huawei when it launches its 5G network next year.

Huawei has already been locked out of the U.S. market. Australia and New Zealand also blocked it from building 5G networks. Japan's government said last year it will ban government purchases of equipment from the Chinese company.

Mourao told Valor Economico newspaper that there was no distrust of the Chinese company within the Brazilian government and Brazil needs the telecom technology it has to offer.

Wireless carrier TIM Participacoes SA announced this month that it was using Huawei technology to conduct 5G network tests in southern Brazil.

Huawei also relaunched its smartphone business in Brazil recently after a false start in 2014, and now plans to manufacture phones in the country. [nL1N22C21L]

The company said on Friday that it is taking the lead in the global 5G market and has secured 46 commercial contracts in 30 countries.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Tech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. </s> FILE PHOTO: A Huawei logo is seen outside the fence at its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao on Friday told journalists that the government will not exclude Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co from operating a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecoms network in Latin America’s largest economy.

The United States has asked countries to reject Huawei technology in the development of new mobile phone networks, arguing that it could be vulnerable to Chinese eavesdropping. Huawei denies its equipment is a security risk.

U.S. President Donald Trump raised the issue with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a White House visit in March.

But Mourao, who met with Huawei Chief Executive Ren Zhengfei on a trip to China last month, said Brazil has no plans to bar Huawei when it launches its 5G network next year.

Huawei has already been locked out of the U.S. market. Australia and New Zealand also blocked it from building 5G networks. Japan’s government said last year it will ban government purchases of equipment from the Chinese company.

Mourao told Valor Economico newspaper that there was no distrust of the Chinese company within the Brazilian government and Brazil needs the telecom technology it has to offer.

Wireless carrier TIM Participacoes SA announced this month that it was using Huawei technology to conduct 5G network tests in southern Brazil.

Huawei also relaunched its smartphone business in Brazil recently after a false start in 2014, and now plans to manufacture phones in the country.

The company said on Friday that it is taking the lead in the global 5G market and has secured 46 commercial contracts in 30 countries. </s> New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will consult with the Home Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) before taking a final call on allowing Chinese telecom major Huawei to take part in the upcoming 5G spectrum-based field trials, an official source said here.

“It is a security issue not a telecom or technology one, Home Ministry will have to be in the loop and also the PMO whose views are very crucial on matters relating security of the system or country,” the official said.

“The call on such a decision will have to be with detailing and due consultation. We will also have to see worldwide how the issue has been handled by the governments wherever Huawei is operating. It’s a larger call than just a equipment supply,” he added.

The government has constituted a committee headed by the Principal Scientific Advisor, to decide on Huawei’s participation in the 5G trials.

According to the source, the panel’s recommendations will be communicated to the Home Ministry and the PMO to take a holistic view on the issue.

The new Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said in a recent briefing: “There are security issues it is not only a matter of technology, where their participation in 5G is concerned.”

“Participation of 5G is not conditional upon the trial being started. Whether a particular company is allowed to participate or not is a complex question including security issues,” he had pointed,” he said.

Huawei has been seeking clarity from the ministry on whether it would be allowed to participate in the field trials along with a telecom operator.

In October last year, the Shenzen-based Huawei said it had been invited by the DoT to participate in the discussions on 5G trials. Another Chinese major, ZTE, however, was not invited.

The three equipment vendors who have got the green signal from the panel are Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson. For the trials, Jio is likely to partner with Samsung, Nokia with Airtel and Vodafone Idea (VIL) with Ericsson.

Huawei has come under the cloud after allegations that that the company’s electronic and telecom devices help the Chinese government to spy on US corporations and agencies.

The situation worsened last year with the Huawei CFO and daughter of the company’s founder, Meng Wanzhou’s arrest in Canada at the request of the US government on grounds that the company had violated trade sanctions against Iran. This has become a major international incident.

China has a National Intelligence Law, enacted in October 2017, which mandates that the government can ask any of their companies to provide any kind of data – either onshore or offshore, while the DoT is aware of this Chinese legislation.

The US has been asking its allies in Europe and other countries to cease doing business with Huawei, particularly with regard to the international roll out of 5G equipment. The wireless firm Orange has ruled out using Huawei products in its core 5G network in France, and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom has announced that it is reviewing purchases of Huawei equipment.

Vodafone, however, has said that it will turn on its 5G service in the UK on July 3 with the help of Huawei equipment. In India, Vodafone Idea has selected Ericsson as its partner. </s> Huawei Technologies has signed an agreement with Russian telecom company MTS to develop next-generation 5G networks in the country over the next year.

5G is the next-generation cellular network that offers faster data transfer speed and could enhance technologies such as autonomous driving, remote medical diagnosis and mobile payments.

The deal was signed Wednesday in Moscow, as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin looked on. MTS said in a statement that it plans to work with Huawei on developing 5G technologies.

Huawei has also signed a draft agreement with the African Union that includes cooperation in 5G communications.

China has been championing Huawei, the world's biggest telecoms gear provider, as a national star as it races to be a global leader in advanced wireless networks amid fierce rivalry from the United States.

Beijing's ambitions have faced a major challenge from Washington, which has blacklisted Huawei just as it seeks to provide equipment for 5G networks in several countries.

Commenting on the announcement, Huawei ─ which produces both network equipment and mobile phones ─ said it will “fully support” Chinese operators to build 5G infrastructure.

“(We) believe that in the near future, China's 5G will lead the world,” Huawei said on Weibo.

Another Chinese phone maker, Vivo, said its 5G devices are ready for network testing and will be on sale once trials are complete.

The administration of President Donald Trump banned US companies in May from selling high-tech components to Huawei on national security grounds, though a 90-day reprieve was issued.

Several firms have already distanced themselves from Huawei, including Google, whose Android operating system runs the vast majority of smartphones in the world.

The move led to an escalation in the US-China trade war, with Beijing preparing its own blacklist of “unreliable” foreign companies.

China's Commerce Ministry says it will release the list in the near future. He said no particular company or industry is being targeted, and those that follow Chinese law don't need to worry.

US companies will have to seek approval for sales to Huawei once the list takes effect.

China hasn't said what action it might take against the entities included on its list.

Since last year, 5G trials have been conducted in Chinese cities ahead of plans to deploy the technology across the country in 2020, and now the government has given the green light.

The Industry and Information Technology Ministry said state-owned telecom providers China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Broadcasting Network Corporation received business licences to operate fifth-generation digital cellular mobile communication services.

“After the issuance of 5G licences, we will continue to welcome foreign companies to actively participate in China's 5G market, seek common development of China's 5G, and share the achievements of China's 5G development,” said Miao Wei, the minister of industry and information technology, according to the ministry's Twitter-like Weibo account.

China Mobile later said it would offer 5G services in 40 Chinese cities this year.

The United States has urged other countries to shun Huawei over concerns that its equipment could be used by Beijing's intelligence services. </s> The United States is urging its allies to stop using Huawei telecommunications equipment because the Chinese company poses a security threat, according to a published report.

The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the discussions, reports that US officials are pushing countries that host American military bases to ban the use of Huawei equipment from their wireless and internet networks.

The US military uses secure networks for its most sensitive communications, but it is concerned that much of its traffic still moves over commercial networks in countries such as Germany, Italy and Japan, the Journal reported. US officials are meeting with government representatives and telecom executives in the other countries to urge them to exclude Huawei equipment from government and commercial networks.

Huawei equipment increases the risk of cyberattacks and could allow China to spy on communications or disable connections in the fast growing “internet of things,” the US officials argue.

“We engage with countries around the world about our concerns regarding cyberthreats in telecommunications infrastructure,” an unnamed US official told the Journal. “As they’re looking to move to 5G, we remind them of those concerns. There are additional complexities to 5G networks that make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks.”

Huawei told CNN Business Friday that its equipment is trusted by customers in 170 countries and by 46 of the world’s 50 largest telecommunications companies.

“Huawei is surprised by the behaviors of the US government detailed in the article,” it said. “If a government’s behavior extends beyond its jurisdiction, such activity should not be encouraged. Huawei firmly believes that our partners and customers will make the right choice based on their own judgment and experience of working with Huawei.”

US intelligence officials have expressed concern about the safety of products made by Huawei and another Chinese tech firm, ZTE. The Pentagon in May ordered stores on American military bases to stop selling smartphones made by the companies. And in February, top officials from the CIA, NSA, FBI and the Defense Intelligence Agency told a Senate committee that those firms’ smartphones posed a security threat to American customers.

Some other allies have already taken steps to limit Huawei. The company announced in August that the Australian government has blocked it from providing 5G technology for the country’s wireless networks.

The report comes at a time of growing trade tensions between the United States and China. Each country has imposed tariffs on the other’s products and threatened more. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet at the G20 summit in Argentina next week.

The White House and the Department of Commerce did not respond to a request for comment on the report. </s> London: Britain's former defence secretary has urged Theresa May to delay a final decision on whether Huawei should be allowed to build the 5G network until after a new prime minister and national security team is in place.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in London, Sir Michael Fallon- who served as defence secretary under Mrs May and her predecessor David Cameron - said the call was too important to be made in the dying days of the Prime Minister's tenure.

"This isn't the kind of decision that can be left to an outgoing prime minister's wash-up," Sir Michael said.

Pushing back the final verdict opens the prospect of the United Kingdom reversing course and following Australia's lead in banning the Chinese telecommunications giant from the critical 5G mobile network. </s> INTERNATIONAL - China granted 5G licenses to the country’s three major telecom operators and China Broadcasting Network Corp on Thursday, giving the go-ahead for full commercial deployment of the next-generation cellular network technology. The approvals will trigger investment in the telecommunications sector which will benefit top vendors such as Huawei Technologies, just as the Chinese network equipment provider struggles to overcome a US blacklisting that has hurt its global business.

State-owned carriers China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom , as well as state-owned broadcaster China Broadcasting Network Corporation Ltd, are the four licensees named by the government.

The three carriers had been granted trial 5G licenses at the end of 2018 and Thursday’s announcement gives the go ahead to begin commercial deployment ahead of the original timeline that was targeting that for 2020.

The accelerated 5G rollout could help Huawei as Washington pushes its allies around the world to drop the firm from their 5G networks due to fears it could be used as a tool of Chinese state espionage, a claim that Huawei has repeatedly denied.

Huawei said in response to the license grant that it was prepared to support China’s 5G build-out. It said it had signed 46 5G commercial contracts in 30 countries to date, shipping more than 100,000 5G base stations.

China is racing against other countries to deploy 5G on a large scale, paving the way for advances in technologies like artificial intelligence and autonomous driving.

Some analysts however believe China’s 5G rollout will face difficulties due to the U.S. ban on Huawei buying parts and components from American firms without Washington’s approval.

“We remain concerned that if the U.S. export ban on Huawei remains in place for some time, and is even extended to other Chinese tech companies, it will be very difficult for China to build 5G in scale,” Jefferies said in a note.

“The action by China to accelerate 5G licensing does not remove or alleviate this risk.”

Telecom operators in Britain, the United States and South Korea have already started offering 5G services in limited areas.

China welcomed foreign enterprises to participate in China’s 5G market, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which issued the licenses, said in a statement. Foreign firms likely to be interested in the rollout include Nokia and Ericsson.

China Mobile, the largest Chinese telecom operator, said it planned to offer 5G services in more than 40 Chinese cities before the end of September.

Shares in Chinese 5G-related firms such as ZTE slumped after the news, as investors pocketed gains. </s> The U.S. government is urging allied nations to avoid using telecommunications equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies Company, even though some of those countries have already made large purchases of Huawei equipment, according to a report published Friday.

The U.S. has expressed concerns that Chinese military and intelligence units have compromised Huawei products, posing security risks.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that U.S. officials are concerned about host countries using Huawei equipment in close proximity to American military bases and about Chinese tech compromising the security of next-generation 5G wireless networks. The U.S. military has some dedicated equipment for its most sensitive communications, but a great deal of the communications traffic from American installations in foreign countries passes through local telecom networks.

American officials are offering detailed briefings on the security risks posed by Chinese equipment:

The briefings are aimed at dissuading governments and telecom executives from using Huawei network components in both government and commercially operated networks. A core focus of the briefings is Beijing’s ability to force Chinese corporations to comply with government requests from government authorities, a U.S. official said. The talking points also emphasize how wireless and internet networks in a few years could be more susceptible to cyberattacks or espionage, people familiar with the briefings said. Today’s cellular-tower equipment, for instance, is largely isolated from the “core” systems that transfer much of a network’s voice and data traffic. But in the 5G networks telecom carriers are preparing to install, cellular-tower hardware will take over some tasks from the core—and that hardware could potentially be used to disrupt the core via cyberattacks. For that reason, U.S. officials worry that Huawei or ZTE cellular-tower equipment could compromise swaths of a telecom network. Huawei is the world’s No. 2 smartphone maker behind Samsung Electronics Co. It is the global leader for telecom equipment, such as the hardware that goes into cellular towers, internet networks and other infrastructure that enables modern communication. The company has been all but shut out of that market in the U.S. after a 2012 congressional report labeled it a national-security threat. American officials say the company could be compelled by Beijing to use its knowledge of its components to snoop on or disrupt telecommunications networks.

The Journal noted American officials are not alone in these concerns. Australia has already banned Huawei and another Chinese company, ZTE, from participating in its 5G network, while the U.K. is conducting a telecom security review that does not specifically name any companies but may be motivated by concerns about Huawei, whose products are popular in Britain. The WSJ article also mentions a “new wariness” toward Huawei in Germany and the possibility of restrictions on its products in Japan.

Unfortunately for concerned U.S. policymakers, Chinese technology is already well established in many allied countries. Italian telecom executives reportedly told U.S. officials they simply cannot stop using Huawei and ZTE products because the Chinese equipment is inexpensive and flexible. A British telecom executive described Huawei as the “only true 5G supplier right now” to the Journal.

Reuters reported on Friday that Huawei has signed 22 commercial contracts for 5G networks so far and is opening an information security lab in Germany to help defuse security concerns before auctions for 5G network spectrum next year.

A group of senior German officials is mounting a last-ditch effort to ban Chinese companies from the 5G project. The German foreign and interior ministries are said to be especially concerned about Chinese participation after speaking with their counterparts in the United States and Australia.

“There is serious concern. If it were up to me we would do what the Australians are doing,” one German official said, referring to Australia’s ban on Huawei and ZTE. Even the German left, which is generally opposed to freezing entire countries out of German markets, has expressed apprehension about Huawei and pointed to Chinese cybersecurity laws that literally require all Chinese companies to “collaborate in national intelligence work.”

Huawei has consistently denied allegations that it works with Chinese intelligence and issued such a response to the Journal piece on Friday:

No Chinese corporation has a good answer to the simple truth that Chinese law absolutely requires them to work with Beijing’s military and intelligence operations upon demand. Even if it were true that Huawei is not currently injecting backdoors and other security flaws into its products for the benefit of Chinese intelligence, the government could compel it to do so tomorrow and arrest its executives instantly if they hesitated to comply.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that stocks in Chinese tech companies are dropping as a result of the U.S. campaign against them, and indeed because of the Journal’s own reporting on that campaign. Conversely, the shares of European competitors to Huawei and ZTE such as Ericsson and Nokia are rising as the looming possibility of bans or caps on Chinese products creates market opportunities for them. The Chinese government has denounced U.S. warnings about the security of Huawei and ZTE products as protectionist schemes to suppress Chinese competition and create market share for American and European companies. </s> The Latest: China's Huawei to develop 5G with Russia's MTS

BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on the trade dispute between China and the United States, and related developments (all times local):

Huawei Technologies has signed an agreement with the Russian telecom company MTS to develop next-generation "5G" networks.

The deal was signed Wednesday in Moscow, as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin looked on.

China has been championing Huawei, the world's biggest telecoms gear provider, as a national star as the company fights U.S. pressure on many countries to exclude it from nascent 5G networks. U.S. officials say Huawei is a security risk.

MTS said in a statement that it plans to work with Huawei on developing 5G technologies.

Xi is on a state visit to Russia as the two countries grow increasingly close while each contends with friction with the U.S. He also will attend a major investment conference in St. Petersburg on Friday.

China's Commerce Ministry says it will release a list of "unreliable" foreign companies in the near future.

The Chinese commerce ministry spokesman did not give a specific date Thursday during a weekly briefing. He said no particular company or industry is being targeted, and those that follow Chinese law don't need to worry.

But he told reporters the process of drawing up the list was underway.

China said that would issue a list of foreign companies and individuals that it deems unreliable after the U.S. blacklisted Huawei Technologies for alleged theft of intellectual property and evasion of Iran sanctions.

U.S. companies will have to seek approval for sales to Huawei once the list takes effect.

China hasn't said what action it might take against the entities included on its list.
Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourão says the government will not exclude Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co. from operating a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecom network.