shutterstock_1208286232_viewimage
13 September 2019PatentsRory O'Neill

Huawei offers 5G licence to ‘any US company’

Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has offered to license the Chinese telecommunications company’s entire 5G platform and infrastructure to “any American company” that wants to use it.

The move is a first in the continuing trade dispute between the US and China, which is closely interlinked with concerns over the perceived threat Huawei poses to US national security.

The US has taken a hard line on Huawei’s role in the global 5G market, urging its allies to block the company from installing telecommunications infrastructure.

According to the US government, Huawei’s leading role in the development of 5G poses a national security risk.

In response, Ren has, for the first time, offered to licence the company’s 5G platform to any American company who wishes to install and operate it without the involvement of Huawei.

In an interview with The New York Times, Ren said that he was prepared to allow US companies to “modify our 5G technologies to meet their security requirements”.

“In that case, the US will be assured of information security,” Ren said.

Ren accused the US government of taking an “irrational approach to Huawei”.

Last month, US President Donald Trump said that Huawei was a “company we may not do business with at all”.

The comments came after the US Department of Commerce added the company to a trade blacklist in May, meaning US businesses must seek permission to do business with Huawei.

Huawei hit back at the US earlier this month, accusing prosecutors of harassing its employees and pressuring them to collect information on the company.

“The fact remains that none of Huawei's core technology has been the subject of any criminal case brought against the company, and none of the accusations levied by the US government have been supported with sufficient evidence,” Huawei said.

The fear over Huawei’s role in providing 5G is linked to US fears over Chinese state-backed theft of trade secrets.

The US has said that Huawei could install “backdoors” in its system, which could be exploited by China to steal proprietary and sensitive information.

Earlier this month, WIPR  reported that Huawei was potentially facing fresh allegations of trade secrets theft, following criminal charges filed in the US earlier this year.

Meanwhile, one US legislator is seeking to block China’s role in developing 5G standards.

Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas’s 10th congressional district, presented the Promoting United States International Leadership in 5G Act of 2019 to the House of Representatives in July.

The bill would direct the Secretary of State to “provide assistance and technical expertise to enhance the representation and leadership of the United States at international standards-setting bodies”.

Did you enjoy reading this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.

Already registered?

Login to your account

To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.

Two Weeks Free Trial

For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk


More on this story

article
24 September 2019   The US Department of Justice has warned that Chinese “state-sponsored” theft of trade secrets is on the rise, as the two countries remain unable to reach an agreement on a new trade deal.
Patents
19 November 2019   Huawei must pay attorneys’ fees in addition to a $10 million damages award for infringing patents owned by a patent licensing company.
Patents
17 March 2021   Huawei has revealed licensing fees for the “world’s largest” portfolio of 5G standard-essential patents.