Australia previously banned Huawei from providing equipment for its fiber-optic network and moved to block it from laying submarine cables in the Pacific. The head of the Australian Signals Directorate, one of the country’s intelligence agencies, says overseas companies with ties to their home governments must be restricted from Australia’s 5G network because it was critical infrastructure. In a speech at an event in Sydney on Wednesday, David Irvine said that while Australia had been “very open and transparent about our intentions for 5G”, he acknowledged there were concerns over how much Huawei has previously denied close links with the Chinese government and has not commented on Australia’s ban although a Chinese government spokesman said Australia should not erect barriers to co-operation.
The head of the Australian Signals Directorate, one of the country’s intelligence agencies, says overseas companies with ties to their home governments must be restricted from Australia’s 5G network because it was critical infrastructure. In a speech at an event in Sydney on Wednesday, David Irvine said that while Australia had been “very open and transparent about our intentions for 5G”, he acknowledged there were concerns over how much Huawei has previously denied close links with the Chinese government and has not commented on Australia’s ban although a Chinese government spokesman said Australia should not erect barriers to co-operation.