Other companies which are also providing their technologies include the likes of Nokia, Ericsson and ZTE, as South African telcos are taking a multi-vendor approach in their 5G deployments. https://www.itweb.co.za/content/Gb3Bw7W8RGmM2k6V

Noted from an article by the The South China Morning Post: US defence bill includes 5G rules to pressure Huawei, ZTE (Jacob Fromer, 5th Deceember 2020). https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3112685/defence-bill-includes-5g-rules-intended-put-pressure-huawei-zte

Congress plans to require the Defence Department to reconsider sending military equipment or troops to a country if it uses Chinese 5G technology.

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe: “I have personally told US allies that using such Chinese-owned technology will severely limit America’s ability to share vital intelligence with them,” he wrote in an essay published in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

The bill says that the Pentagon will have to consider “the risks to personnel, equipment, and operations” of the department posed by “at-risk” 5G vendors when making decisions about overseas deployments. It specifically names Huawei and ZTE.

It says it will apply to any “major weapon system” or additional “permanently assigned” troop deployments comprising at least the size of a battalion, which the Defence Department says can be up to about 1,000 soldiers.

It does not apply to short-term combat missions, the bill says.

Soo Kim, a former US intelligence analyst now at the Rand Corporation, said the rule could lead to difficult decisions for some US allies, like South Korea, that may find themselves “caught between” a security relationship with Washington and a trade partnership with Beijing.

“Even if the US is not planning to transfer military equipment to South Korea in the immediate time frame, should Seoul decide to include Huawei in its 5G networks, there’s risks of Chinese surveillance or ability to tap into sensitive communications,” she said.

“For Seoul, it’s come down to weighing security vs economics, which in this day and age have survival implications.” https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3112685/defence-bill-includes-5g-rules-intended-put-pressure-huawei-zte

US/South African Trade

The U.S. and the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), which includes South Africa, signed a Trade, Investment, and Development Cooperative Agreement (TIDCA) in 2008.

U.S. goods imports from South Africa totaled $7.8 billion in 2019, down 7.9% ($666 million) from 2018, but up 32.7% from 2009. 

The top import categories (2-digit HS) in 2019 were: precious metal and stone (platinum) ($3.5 billion), iron and steel ($576 million), ores, slag, and ash (ashes and residues) ($524 million), vehicles ($435 million), and machinery ($414 million).

U.S. total imports of agricultural products from South Africa totaled $389 million in 2019. Leading categories include: tree nuts ($127 million), other fresh fruit ($60 million), wine and beer ($46 million), processed fruit & vegetables ($34 million), and essential oils ($16 million).

U.S. imports of services from South Africa were an estimated $2.0 billion in 2019, 4.4% ($84 million) more than 2018, and 32.5% greater than 2009 levels.  Leading services imports from South Africa to the U.S. were in the travel, professional and management services, and transport sectors. https://tinyurl.com/y5sv3h6u

UK Telecommunications (Security) Bill 

The Telecommunications (Security) Bill aims to give the government unprecedented new powers to boost the security standards of the UK’s telecoms networks and remove the threat of high risk vendors.

Examples of the cyber attacks or breaches the Telecoms (Security) Bill will help to guard the UK against include:

1) Espionage attacks on networks which happen because of the poor security of the companies that provide equipment support to telecoms providers. In 2018, the Chinese ‘APT 10’ group attack on global networks, also known as ‘Cloudhopper’, targeted a range of companies, including in aerospace and defence, telecommunications, professional services, utility sectors and many more. It was one of the most significant and widespread cyber intrusions against the UK and allies uncovered to date targeting trade secrets and economies around the world.

2) Networks being remotely disabled because of insecure connections to other networks, which has caused mobile outages in other countries. This happened in 2016 when unusual network traffic was received by Norwegian telecoms provider Telenor, causing an outage which impacted up to three million customers for 18 hours.

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden:

We are investing billions to roll out 5G and gigabit broadband across the country, but the benefits can only be realised if we have full confidence in the security and resilience of our networks.

Telecoms watchdog Ofcom will be given stronger powers to monitor and assess operators’ security, alongside enforcing compliance with the new law. This will include carrying out technical testing, interviewing staff, and entering operators’ premises to view equipment and documents. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-telecoms-security-law-to-protect-uk-from-cyber-threats

Across Africa, however, Huawei faces controversy of a different nature. https://qz.com/africa/1822312/huaweis-surveillance-tech-in-africa-worries-activists/

The Chinese telecoms equipment giant, which reportedly built up to 70% of the continent’s 4G infrastructure, stands accused of selling technologies to potentially repressive governments as part of its “Safe City” initiative and in so doing helping to undermine human rights in these countries.

When asked if company implemented any safeguards to ensure the technology would not violate human rights, Adam Lane, the senior director of Public Affairs for Huawei’s Southern Africa division, said: “Huawei develops technology not public policy. That is the role of policy makers and legislators.”

“Huawei does not manage, use or have access to any of our systems—we only sell them to the customer and train them how to use it. It is up to individual countries to set their own policies, regulations and laws to govern how such systems are used, and for their legal systems to ensure implementation,” Lane added. https://qz.com/africa/1822312/huaweis-surveillance-tech-in-africa-worries-activists/

South Africa’s Largest Mobile Telcos Brush Aside U.S. Concerns About Huawei 5G Equipment

South African Telcos’ Views on Huawei 5G Equipment

VODACOM: “To date, there has been no public documented evidence of any security issues with Huawei network equipment. We will continue to follow government guidelines and argue that decisions on vendors should be fact and risk-based” — Vodacom South Africa spokesperson.

MTN: “Huawei is a network provider for MTN’s 5G network rollout but it is worth noting that MTN SA makes use of a number of network equipment providers and our voice and data mobile core is predominantly provided by Ericsson” — Jacqui O’Sullivan, MTN South Africa’s executive for corporate affairs.

RAIN: “Rain has no reason to believe that Huawei equipment specifically carries increased security risks compared to other vendors” — Khaya Dlanga, Rain Chief Marketing Officer

https://chinaafricaproject.com/2020/10/21/south-africas-largest-mobile-telcos-brush-aside-u-s-concer

Ties between SA and Huawei remain strong

The US campaign to ban Chinese telecoms vendor Huawei is still not making much of an impact in South Africa where economic ties with China remain strong and government support for Huawei continues.

This was clear during an online event for the Huawei 2020 Seeds for the Future training program where both the Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese embassy in South Africa, Li Nan, and South Africa’s minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, spoke of mutual commitments to one another.

Li highlighted Huawei and China’s long history in Africa, saying that Huawei remains an important contributor to the development of the African telecommunications industry. http://www.connectingafrica.com/author.asp?section_id=761&doc_id=763413

South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa “We want 5G and we know were we can get 5G,” he said in a show of support for Huawei. https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2019-07-05-we-cant-be-held-back-by-us-jealousy-says-ramaphosa-on-huawei-sanctions/

China tightens export rules for sensitive tech, boosts power to retaliate against foreign sanctions

The law, first drafted in 2017 and approved in late October, bears resemblance to US Export Administration Regulations, including a list of controlled items like sensitive technology, military goods, dual-use items that have both civil and military uses, and a licence requirement for anyone who intends to export or re-export these goods.The regulation is widely viewed as a response to United States’ restrictions on Chinese technology firms like Huawei Technologies Co., which has seen access to American technology severed amid a growing tech war between the world’s two largest powers.

“The new law could pave the way for state-sanctioned export bans on rare earth metals, in what [analysts] described as a ‘no chips, no rare earths’ tactic, with reference to the US export control abuses against Chinese technology company Huawei Technologies Co.,” said a now-deleted article published by state-run tabloid the Global Times in late October, quoting several Chinese experts. https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3111972/china-tightens-export-rules-sensitive-tech-boosts-power-retaliate-against

SA network operators are reliant on Huawei 5G products that are deemed ‘critically vulnerable’ By Heidi Swart, 7 December 2020 https://tinyurl.com/y5dve4qr

Heidi Swart is an investigative journalist who reports on surveillance and data privacy issues. This story was commissioned by the Media Policy and Democracy Project, an initiative of the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Journalism, Film and TV and Unisa’s Department of Communication Science.

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By Admire Moyo, ITWeb’s news editor.

Johannesburg, 21 st September 2020

Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE is preparing to capitalise on the expected growth of next-generation 5G technologies in South Africa.

This was revealed by Fu Zhen, chief technology officer of ZTE South Africa, and Fahad Nisar, technical marketing director at ZTE South Africa, in an e-mail interview with ITWeb.

While South African mobile operators have gradually started rolling out 5G networks in the big cities, ZTE believes the technology will become mainstream after 2025.

In preparation for the widespread adoption of 5G in SA, ZTE is partnering with local telcos to upgrade 4G LTE networks, which it believes will be critical in advancing the next-gen technology.

The GSM Association expects 4G connections to continue to grow for the next few years, peaking at just under 60% of global connections by 2023.

For 5G, its forecast is that it will account for a fifth (20%) of global connections by 2025.

Vendors that are positioning themselves to take advantage of the 5G growth in SA include Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia and ZTE.

This as South African telcos are taking a multi-vendor approach in their deployment of the next-generation connectivity technology.

So far, Vodacom, MTN and data-only network Rain have announced commercial 5G launches in SA.

Read more at: https://www.itweb.co.za/content/kYbe97XD8XG7AWpG

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LAULY LI and CHENG TING-FANG, Nikkei staff writers August 26, 2020 16:22 JST, Updated on August 26, 2020 17:08 JST

Joint declaration bolsters ‘Clean Network’ initiative as Huawei fights for future

TAIPEI — Taiwan and the U.S. on Wednesday issued a joint declaration on 5G security, strengthening their cooperation under Washington’s “Clean Network” initiative to block major Chinese tech companies including Huawei.

The joint declaration — announced by officials from the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto embassy on the self-ruled democratic island, and top officials from Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry and National Communication Commission — comes amid warming ties between the two governments and an ever-icier tech cold war between the U.S. and China.

One of the key battlegrounds in that conflict is fifth generation or 5G telecommunications technology. Fast and low-latency 5G networks promise to drive advances on everything from autonomous cars to drones and sophisticated military hardware. Citing alleged national security threats, Washington has been lobbying other countries to exclude Chinese companies from these sensitive networks, especially Huawei but also the likes of ZTE.

Excerpt

The joint declaration announced on Wednesday calls for “rigorous” evaluation of 5G hardware and software suppliers. It lists several criteria for judging such companies: whether they are subject “to control by a foreign government,” whether they are “financed openly and transparently,” whether they have “transparent ownership, partnerships, and corporate governance structures,” and whether they have “a commitment to innovation and respect for intellectual property rights.”

“Protecting these next-generation communications networks from disruption or manipulation as well as the privacy and individual liberties are vital to ensuring our economies are able to take advantage of the tremendous economic opportunities 5G will enable,” the statement reads.

The AIT’s Christensen, speaking at the MAPECT 2020 International Investment Forum in Taipei, called for “ensuring countries like China do not hold supply chains hostage for political purposes” and for “working with like-minded partners, including Taiwan, Japan and the European Union and others, to develop new supply chains based on shared values, standards, environmental, and labor practices.”

The post Taiwan and US join forces on 5G security in move to exclude China appeared first on EMFSA.

•In 2012 (Huawei), along with ZTE, was found guilty of bribery in Algeria and fined $39,000 and excluded from public contracts for two years. Local French language news site Presse-DZ reported that international arrest warrants had been issued for ZTE’s Dong Tao and Chen Zhibo and Huawei’s Xiao Chunfa. A fine of three million dinars (£25,117) each was also levied and the firms were banned from public tenders for two years as punishment for “corruption and influence peddling”.

•The three were charged as part of a wider corruption scandal involving former Algérie Télécom exec Mohamed Boukhari, and businessman Chami Madjdoub who were given a sentence of 18 years in jail and fined five million dinars after receiving suspicious payments and money laundering between 2003-6. The report alleges that the ZTE and Huawei execs effectively bribed Boukhari by paying $10m (£6.5m) into offshore accounts set up by Madjdoub. The Shenzhen headquartered telecoms kit makers both expressed concern at the news.

•In Zambia, it was probed over allegations of bribery involving a multi-million-dollar contract to build cell towers in rural areas.

•In the Solomon Islands, it was accused of offering millions of dollars to the ruling party in exchange for an undersea fiber optic cable contract. In all three cases – and half a dozen others in recent years – the alleged perpetrator was Huawei.

•In Ghana, Huawei has confronted accusations of illegally funding the ruling party, a charge Huawei and other Chinese companies have faced in other countries. In 2012, an opposition group disclosed what it claimed was evidence that Huawei had made illegal campaign contributions to the ruling National Democratic Congress in exchange for a $43 million tax exemption. Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) produced invoices and other documents showing the Chinese telecom company had paid for millions of dollars worth of campaign paraphernalia for the ruling party’s 2012 election campaign. In return, the group alleged, the government awarded “one of the juiciest contracts to be doled out by the government” – a $150 million contract to build an e-government platform. Huawei and the government denied the charges.

In the last 12 years, Huawei and its smaller Chinese rival ZTE have been “investigated or found guilty of corruption” in as many as 21 countries, according to Andy Keiser, a former House Intelligence Committee professional staffer.

The ZTE Corporation recently launched its first 5G Wireless Router, ZTE 5G Indoor CPE MC801A, in South Africa in collaboration with MTN. Rain, one of the 5G providers in South Africa also markets a 5G Huawei Router.

ZTE is listed on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. As with Huawei, the company has faced criticism in the United States over potential ties to the Chinese government that could enable surveillance. In June 2020, the Federal Communications Commission designated ZTE a national security threat, thereby barring it from any U.S. subsidies. It was disclosed that the United States Department of Justice opened an investigation into ZTE for potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Huawei’s founder Ren Zhengfei was once an engineer in the People’s Liberation Army and is also a member of the Communist Party. And then there are the Chinese rules: According to a new cybersecurity law that came into force in summer 2017, in certain cases Chinese companies are obliged to pass on information acquired abroad to the state. What “certain cases” means is vague.

https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/bribery-corruption-charges-follow-huawei-around-world

https://www.dw.com/en/sierens-china-worlds-telecoms-giants-warrant-general-suspicion/a-47420421

The gift that kept on giving

In 2006, Beijing pledged $200m to build the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa. Everything was custom-built by the Chinese – including a state-of-the-art computer system. Huawei servers sent sensitive data back to China every evening for five years. All allegations were denied.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/Huawei

Fast forward to July 20, 2020:

Huawei equips Cameroon government data center, helps Rain’s South Africa 5G project.

A Tier III (Design) data center has been built in Cameroon by a Chinese consortium that includes Huawei.

The $15m Camtel NBN II, also called the Zamengoe data center, is a 3,000 sq m (32,000 sq ft) facility on the outskirts of Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. It was funded with a loan from the Chinese government. https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/huawei-equips-cameroon-govt-data-center-helps-rains-south-africa-5g-project

Al Jazeera Investigations

On the 15th of July 2020, Aljazeera broke the news of corruption allegations concerning 5G and Huawei in Namibia. A Windhoek city councillor alleged that she was offered money by a local politician to drop objections against tentative 5G deal. The Anti-Corruption Commission of the Republic of Namibia is investigating the case.

The post Corruption Allegations Part 1 appeared first on EMFSA.

Wednesday 27 November 2019 | 09:17 CET | News

The post US govt consults on procedures to ban risky ICT suppliers appeared first on EMFSA.

The post ITU INTERVIEWS @ WRC-19: Dong Zhou, Director of Spectrum Policy and Regulatory Affairs, ZTE Co. appeared first on EMFSA.

ZTE is the first telecommunications company in South Africa to complete standalone test at 3.5GHz as well as non-standalone (NSA) test at 3.5GHz and 4.9GHz.

ZTE is also participating in China’s 5G technology R&D testing of 5G end to end products, 5G base station, core networks and devices.

Network performance of 5G South Africa has also been verified by ZTE, reviewed user experience data rate, latency and coverage in Huairou a district of Beijing. Therefore ZTE will be very key in 5G operations deployment and commercial products solutions for South Africa in the future.

Source: BRICS JOURNAL

Chinese tech company, ZTE to lead 5G testing in South Africa

Comments by EMFSA:

Millimeter waves occupy the frequency spectrum from 30 GHz to 300 GHz.

Because the higher frequencies do not travel well it makes sense to make use of any unallocated spectrum in the lower gigahertz ranges first. That is what the Chinese appear to be doing in South Africa  (3.5GHz and 4.9GHz).

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