Japan’s top 3 telcos to exclude Huawei, ZTE network equipment, according to Japanese news reports
- The news, for which Kyodo did not cite sources, comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of Chinese tech firms by Washington and its major allies
Japan’s big three telecommuniucations operators plan not to use current equipment and upcoming 5G mobile network gear from China’s Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp, Kyodo News reported on Monday.
The news, for which Kyodo did not cite sources, comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of Chinese tech firms by Washington and some prominent allies over ties to the Chinese government, driven by concerns they could be used by Beijing for spying.
Last week, sources told Reuters that Japan planned to ban government purchases of equipment from Huawei and ZTE to ensure strength in its defences against intelligence leaks and cyberattacks.
A SoftBank Group Corp spokesman said Japan’s third-largest telelecoms services provider was closely watching government policy and is continuing to consider its options. The amount of equipment in use from Chinese makers “is relatively small”, he said.
Japan’s top two telecommunications operators, NTT Docomo and KDDI Corp, said the firms had not made any decision yet.
Docomo does not use either Huawei or ZTE network equipment, but it has partnered with Huawei on 5G trials. KDDI also does not use Huawei equipment in its “core” network, a spokeswoman said, adding it does not use any ZTE network equipment.
Huawei did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, while ZTE declined to comment.