Technology and politics, a bad combination

Huawei Technologies is the biggest Chinese company that makes telecommunication network equipment and a maker of smartphones and tablets. The U.S. government found out that its founder and the chief executive officer served in the People’s Liberation Army and provided customer information to the Chinese government. This prompted the U. S. House Permanent Select Committee in 2012 to issue a report that business dealings with Huawei pose a national security threat. Huawei claimed that the findings are without merits. However, they scaled back their activities in the Unites States since that time and instead increased its activity in Canada, our neighbor to the north.

Huawei provides Canada with 3G and 4G network equipment through Bell Canada and Telus, two of three cell phone operators in Canada. Huawei is the world’s third largest smartphone maker behind Apple and Samsung Electronics and it is steadily increasing its smartphone sales in Canada. It has teamed up with the Canadian pop singer Katy Perry to promote her concert tour and their smartphone business, supply uniforms and equipment to amateur hockey players and soccer players, and donate hardware to remote communities to connect to the Internet. However, Canada ultimately banned them from bidding for cellular networks for the national government.