Huawei plans to discuss with the Australian government a possible partnership on 6G research and development, Sydney Morning Herald reports, citing Jeremy Mitchell, Director of Corporate Affairs of Huawei Australia. The statement comes after the US government convinced Australian authorities to ban Huawei from supplying 5G equipment in the country.
“The conversation we now want to have with the Australian government is what do we do when 6G or 7G comes, because like it or not Huawei or another Chinese company will be the leader in this area”, Mitchell said. “6G is just at the very beginning of research development but it’s important to get in now to understand where this technology is going”, he added.
Huawei deal with Public Transport Authority in Australia called off
Huawei’s deal with Public Transport Authority in Australia was recently called off following trade restrictions imposed by US government. The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia, which plans to spend AUD 136 million to replace its analogue radio systems with a new digital network, has pulled out of the deal on grounds of force majeure. Huawei and engineering firm UGL won the contract together in 2018, forming the HUGL Consortium to carry out the project. The work was awarded before various US trade restrictions targeted Huawei.
Australia bans Huawei, ZTE from 5G network rollout
In 2018, the Australian government banned Huawei and ZTE from taking part in the rollout of 5G networks in the country due to national security concerns. The decision is based on rules disqualifying any company that was "likely subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law".
The decision was based on the Telecommunications Sector Security Reforms (TSSR), which come into effect on 18 September 2018, and included a security obligation requiring vendors to protect their networks against threats to national security. These followed an intelligence law passed in China last year that demands "any organisation or citizen shall support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work". This means Chinese suppliers could be subject to "extrajudicial directions", outside Australia's interests.
