Huawei Technologies Botswana (HTB) has innocuously drilled experts from the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) on iteration of mobile communication 5G networks.
The workshop was greeted with glee by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Thulaganyo Segokgo.
The Tlokweng Member of Parliament (MP) believes the training will allow participants to understand the importance of 5G and other technologies in the era of digitalization.
Be that as it may, the United States has deemed Huawei Technologies Co Ltd as a national security threat on its soil. It is to this end, expediting processes to remove telecoms equipment supplied by the Chinees tech company. Huawei has denied the charge of espionage.
Huawei’s labels of suspicion grow even more graphic with the new White House administration under Joe Biden perceiving the company as an untrusted vendor. Despite Western countries’ tough stance on Huawei, the tech company is regarded as safe in Botswana. The communications minister said the country is open to Huawei technology.
In response to The Telegraph queries, the minister said that generally he believes Huawei technologies are safe and reliant.
“However, all technologies are safe to the extent that you observe safe practices and adapt or adopt security measures to protect yourself,” he said.
To protect itself, the US designated Huawei as a national security threat through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year December.
Segokgo added:“Huawei technologies currently being used in our communication networks are considered safe for use in Botswana.”
Huawei filed an application for review of the national security threat designation. In denying that application, the FCC recognized the overwhelming evidence of Huawei’s close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military and intelligence apparatus and affirmed the Bureau’s determination that Huawei poses a threat to the security and integrity of the nation’s communications networks or the communications supply chain in a media release last year December.
Segokgo said Botswana is amenable to 5G in its pursuit of enhanced mobile broadband services.
“Botswana will continue monitoring the 5G development and provide the necessary enabling policy and regulatory environment such as the assignment of the appropriate radio frequency spectrum so that those who have the business need for it might deploy 5G,” he stated.
America’s Congress or National Assembly decided on a measure that has banned the US government or any government operative from using components from Huawei, ZTE, or a number of other Chinese communications companies,” he said.
The ban comes as a component of the much larger Defence Authorization Act, following an executive order from Trump. Despite reversing most of his predecessor’s administrative decisions, President Biden has inherited Trump’s tough stand on Huawei. The new Biden administration has said that telecommunications equipment made by untrusted vendors, including Huawei, is a threat to the security of the U.S. and its allies.
The trade war between America and China has been strained more with the US taking aim at Huawei’s technologies.
China has taken casualties in the war as the US continues to cripple the republic’s ambitions on 5G investment and infrastructure deployment. Such tensions could spill onto Botswana, affecting her technological interests.
The minister said as a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Botswana makes its own policy decisions, pursuant to its economic interests and advise by her national security organisations in the industry. “It does not involve itself in (trade) disputes between other countries. However, such trade wars can be taken into account as part of risk assessment,” he said.
“Botswana cannot prohibit importation of a product/ service on the basis of such,” he added.
“If there is proof that any product poses a security challenge and that can be proven, the Trade Agreements that Botswana is party to provide for general exceptions to prohibit importation of such. We do not necessarily develop a perception without scientific arguments or proof,” the minister said.
Huawei, China’s top telecoms equipment company, is pit against accusations that its gear can be used for espionage and network surveillance.
The previous Whitehouse administration banned US firms from doing business with Huawei, putting pressure on its allies to ban it from their 5G networks.
The allied Five Eyes countries, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand have a formal policy to ban or restrict Huawei from the next generation 5G network, except for Canada. USA is moving towards overhauling all Huawei and ZTE related telecoms equipment in the country.
Trump signed into law legislation that required the removal of equipment made by the two companies owing to concern within the US intelligence community and among lawmakers that the gear might contain bugs that would allow the transfer of US data to Beijing. UK’s critical infrastructure and the government said all Huawei equipment had to be stripped from the UK’s networks by 2027.
Asked if his ministry has conducted safety assessments for Huawei in Botswana, Segokgo said Botswana is continuously monitoring cybersecurity risks to mitigate threats.
The workshop offered a course titled: “Introduction to 5G Technology Motivation & Industry progress” which covered the nuts and bolts of 5G technology. HTB’s workshop and Huawei’s alleged threat to national security stimulated an inquiry to Segokgo on the company’s presence in Botswana.
