ATTENTION PREMIER BRAD WALL: Former Nortel exec warns against working with Huawei
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is being forced to defend a recent contract signing between Chinese IT company, Wuawei and SaskTel.
... but maybe that wasn't such a great idea!
"Canadian companies should not work with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, a former security adviser at Nortel warns.
Brian Shields, who was the senior systems security adviser at failed Canadian telecommunications company Nortel, says working with Huawei is too big a risk. Shields alleges Huawei spent years hacking into Nortel's system and stealing information so it could compete with Nortel on world markets.
"These kind of things are not done by just average hackers. I believe these are nation-state [kinds] of activity," he told the CBC's Greg Weston, blaming China for the hacking.
"It was on behalf of Huawei and ZTE and other Chinese companies that could have used this information to compete against us in the marketplace. It gave them a strategic advangage. How can you survive when you have a competitor basically right there knowing all your moves, what you're doing, what you see as the future products?" Shields said.
The U.S. intelligence committee warned in a report Monday of the risk of spying that comes with working with Huawei and another Chinese telecommunications firm, ZTE. The committee said U.S. regulators should block attempted mergers and acquisitions by the firms, and that the government should avoid using components from those firms in their systems.
The head of the U.S. intelligence committee, Mike Rogers, told CBC News that Canada should also be wary.
The world’s second-largest telecommunications equipment supplier, Huawei is already providing high-speed networks for Bell Canada, Telus, SaskTel and Wind Mobile."
CBC.ca
UPDATE:
-Britain scrutinizes Huawei's telecoms infrastructure role
..... but Premier Brad Wall knows better than the Gov't of the UK and the US Intelligence Committee!
Photo courtesy CBC ....
