With increasingly growing concerns over Chinese company Huawei in the news about its potential national security threat when it comes to its 5G networks, Bell has sent out a memo to store employees to reassure customers over the latter’s smartphones.
According to an internal memo seen by MobileSyrup, Bell and Virgin employees are instructed to tell customers, “There are no concerns about the Huawei smartphones offered to Canadian consumers by Virgin Mobile/Bell and most other wireless providers,” defending the devices as safe to use.
Bell currently sells the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Huawei P20 Pro and Huawei P20 smartphones. Customers seeking to return these devices will see Bell’s regular return policies apply.
In regards to Huawei, the Bell memo reads, “The debate around Huawei involves the potential use of its wireless infrastructure equipment in new 5G (Fifth Generation) wireless networks, which have yet to be launched.”
Canada’s former spy chief has called on Canada to ban Huawei 5G equipment like its allies. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is currently reviewing the security threat of Huawei, and a decision on whether a ban will happen is expected sometime this year, according to Bloomberg. Earlier today, the federal government publicly stated there are “other” companies capable of supply 5G networking equipment, aside from Huawei.
Diplomatic relations between China and Canada have turned sour, ever since Huawei’s CFO was arrested in Vancouver as part of an extradition request by the United States.
In retaliation, China has detained Canadians in China, while also sentencing a Canadian man to death in a drug smuggling case re-trial.
Bell and Huawei successfully tested Wireless to the Home (WTTH) trials in Ontario last February.
Last week, Telus, which also works with Huawei, said the latter is not a security risk for 5G networks and said any 5G network ban of the Chinese company would be a “lost opportunity.”
