Bahrain to use Huawei in 5G rollout despite US warnings
Only concern is whether technology meets the country’s standards, says minister
Dubai — Bahrain, headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, plans to roll out a commercial 5G mobile network by June, partly using Huawei technology despite the US’s concerns that the Chinese telecom giant’s equipment could be used for spying. Washington has warned countries against using Chinese technology, saying Huawei could be used by Beijing to spy on the West. China has rejected the accusations. VIVA Bahrain, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian state-controlled telecom STC, signed an agreement in February to use Huawei products in its 5G network, one of several Gulf telecoms firms working with the Chinese company. “We have no concern at this stage as long as this technology is meeting our standards,” Bahrain’s telecommunications minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed said on Tuesday when asked about US concerns over Huawei technology. The US Fifth Fleet uses its base in Bahrain, a Western-allied island state off the Saudi coast, to patrol several important shipping lanes, also near Iran....
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