Five Chinese firms, including Huawei and ZTE, designated as threats to US national security
- Hikvision, Hytera Communications and Dahua Technology were also listed by the Federal Communications Commission under a law to protect US communication networks
- The regulator last year finalised rules requiring US carriers with ZTE or Huawei gear to ‘rip and replace’ that equipment
A United States government regulator overseeing the communications industry labelled five Chinese telecommunications companies a “threat to national security” on Friday, including Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp.
Announcing the designation, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said that telecommunications products and services provided by the companies posed “an unacceptable risk to US national security or the security and safety of US persons.”
Included alongside Huawei and ZTE in the list were Hytera Communications Corp, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, and Dahua Technology Co.
Such designations, which will extend to subsidiaries and affiliates of the targeted entities, are required under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019.
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Friday’s action marked a “big step toward restoring trust in our communications networks,” said FCC acting chief Jessica Rosenworcel, adding that Americans had grown increasingly reliant on networks to work, learn and access healthcare.