Clean Network Interviews and Commentary

Under Secretary of State, Keith Krach on 5G, distancing from Huawei

Keith Krach: The tide is turning toward trusted 5G vendors and against Huawei as citizens around the world are waking up to the danger of the Chinese Communist Party’s surveillance state. This is causing governments around the world to only allow trusted vendors in their 5G networks. Some of these include the Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Estonia, Romania, Denmark, Greece, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Israel, Albania, Latvia, and many others. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab recently remarked that it isn’t just the devastation of covid-19 that takes the shine off of China, but also the fact that the CCP doesn’t live up to the deals that it makes. The crackdown on Hong Kong is a case in point. As the foreign secretary, Rob said, "It comes down to an issue of trust. Why would anyone trust them with other deals they might make?" And that is precisely the question that governments and businesses around the globe are asking about 5G. Who do you trust? The primary choices are two world-class European vendors on one side, Ericsson and Nokia, and two CCP controlled companies on the other. It’s only been less than a couple of months since Beijing broke its promise to the people of Hong Kong and we unveiled the 5G Clean Path Initiative to promote safe, secure, resilient, and trusted communications over next generation networks built by trusted vendors. And already, China’s quest to dominate 5G is running out of steam. Telefonica states in its digital manifesto that security is paramount, and its CEO and chairman, José Lopez, this week declared Telefonica is proud to be a 5G clean path company. Telefonica in Spain and UK are fully clean networks, and Telefonica Deutschland and Brazil will also be the same. A few weeks ago, the Big Three telcos of Canada decided to partner with Ericsson and Nokia because Canadian public opinion was overwhelmingly against allowing Huawei into 5G networks. The largest telecom companies in countries around the globe are also becoming clean telcos. In addition to Telefonica, we’ve seen this with a rise in France, reliance in India, Telstra, and Australia, ČESKÉ engaged in Korea, Cosmetician Greece, NTT in Japan, and O2 in the United Kingdom. The momentum in favor of secure 5G is building. The more countries, companies, and citizens ask whom they should trust with their most sensitive data. The most obvious the answer becomes, not the Chinese Communist Party surveillance state. The United Kingdom’s decision to reconsider the use of Huawei and its 5G networks resulted in a dramatic backlash from China. It threatened to punish the British bank HSBC and pull investment from major British infrastructure projects. Clearly, the Chinese Communist Party sees much more than a mere financial benefit having while way embedded in 4 and 5G networks. It’s no wonder why so many countries are reevaluating their partnerships with Chinese firms. Earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress, Huawei boasted that it had ninety-one 5G commercial contracts. But from what we can tell, that list has dwindled down to less than a couple dozen. These numbers may explain their desperate behavior and bullying the citizens of the UK. They are feeling their 5G dream of global domination suddenly slipping through their fingers. This type of desperation and insecurity is exactly what makes someone turn into a bully. And we have all experienced bullies sometimes in our lives. But if there’s one thing we know about bullies, it’s that they back down when they’re confronted and they really back down when their friends are standing by their side. And the US is proud to do exactly that. As Secretary of State Pompeo recently said regarding UK’s actions on 5G, the United States stands with our allies and partners against bullying, and we stand ready to assist our UK friends with any needs they have. And that goes for all freedom-loving countries because the CCP’s 5G strategy is a real and urgent threat to all who value liberty and justice around the world. Huawei is an extension of the Chinese government and a tool to extend its surveillance state. And 5G serves as that backbone. Simply, all they have to do is look up the cameras and microphones and you’ve got Big Brother George Orwell’s 1984. So where are they headed with this? They want to export the surveillance state. 5G gives them the capabilities to repeat what they have done in those horrid camps and Xinjiang Province in the west of China. Fortunately, the world is waking up. Huawei always is losing its luster, and the appetite for trusted networks and carriers has never been higher. This is good news for all who value freedom and security.