Huawei should not be banned from 5G deployment in Italy – economic development minister

Huawei should be allowed to participate in the rollout of 5G in Italy, Stefano Patuanelli said after a parliamentary committee urged that Chinese companies be banned from the development of the super-fast network.

“We have passed legislation that guarantees national security. With the right defenses, the possibility of [Chinese companies’] access is not up for debate,” the recently appointed minister of economic development, Stefano Patuanelli, said in an interview with La Stampa.

While the US has been pressing its allies to take a tougher stance on Huawei, earlier this month, the Italian Parliamentary Committee for the Intelligence and Security Services and for State Secret Control (COPASIR) submitted a non-binding document sounding the alarm about the involvement of Chinese tech firms in the development of super-fast networks in the country. The committee said concerns about them were “largely grounded” due to the alleged threat to national security.

The same claim was used by Washington to blacklist China’s Huawei and ZTE, though both have repeatedly denied the allegations. The firms have already offered to provide the necessary information and guarantees to the security committee.

Chinese tech giant Huawei hit back against the Italian parliamentary committee’s report. The company’s Italian branch said it “abides by the Italian law and any allegation against it is driven by geopolitical reasons,” China’s state-run Global Times reported on Sunday, citing a statement from company.

Huawei earlier pledged to invest $3.1 billion in Italy if it ensures “transparent, efficient and fair” policy on 5G deployment.

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