The US government through the Defense Authorization Act has banned the use of Huawei and ZTE technology by workers and contractors.
However, government contractors can still use components that don’t handle user data in any way. But since they still have to get rid of existing parts and devices that do, the law includes a directive for agencies to prioritize funding for businesses that have to replace their equipment.
While the two companies might lose clients due to the new law, it could have been much worse for ZTE.
The US Senate already voted to reinstate a ban that would continue preventing ZTE from working with American manufacturers.
The US government considers Huawei and ZTE as security threats and has been seeing them as such for a long time.
Back in 2012, the Congress published the results of an 11-month probe wherein the investigators noted how the companies failed to explain their ties to the Chinese government. Earlier this year, the Pentagon banned the companies’ phones from military base retailers, citing security concerns. And just recently, the Democratic National Committee advised candidates running in November not to allow their staff to use devices by either company, especially after what happened during the 2016 Presidential Elections.
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