Huawei and its related companies are being banned from Canada. In an official policy statement, Huawei and ZTE are explicitly mentioned in section 5.
“The Government of Canada has serious concerns about suppliers such as Huawei and ZTE who could be compelled to comply with extrajudicial directions from foreign governments in ways that would conflict with Canadian laws or would be detrimental to Canadian interests.”
-Statement 5, Policy Statement – Securing Canada’s Telecommunications System
These two brands are further mentioned in four other sections. A deadline is already set – by June 28, 2024, all equipment from Huawei (that means phones, too) and ZTE would be prohibited. All 5G equipment from either company should be gone from the country in 2024. Not only 5G, even 4G equipment from the two companies will also be banned by December 31, 2027.
The Canadian Government is also going to require all businesses and telecommunication providers to acquire new 4G or 5G equipment by September 1st of this year.
This isn’t the first time Huawei and ZTE were banned in a country. In India, the two companies were left out when India announced partnerships with 5G equipment makers that included Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung. However, the Indian government did not exactly ban the two Chinese companies from distributing 5G equipment, implying that telecommunications providers have the freedom to choose from which manufacturers they can source from.
The bans on the Chinese equipment manufacturers have formed a so-called Five Eye alliance that is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, and more recently, Canada.
