Huawei vs. America: Fighting for phones, 5G, and the Future

Huawei is suing the U.S. government. Huawei, which makes everything from phones, like the just-announced Mate X, yeah the one that stole some of Samsung's folding thunder, to the communications equipment that connects all phones, including the upcoming 5G networks, Huawei is claiming the United States is unfairly — unconstitutionally, even — keeping them out of the country, out of deals with major telcos like AT&T and Verizon, and out of the hands of consumers.

The U.S. government claims Huawei's close ties to the Chinese government make it a threat to national security and the privacy of American citizens. In other words, that Huawei equipment from handsets to infrastructure, will be used to spy on Americans, Canadians, Brits, and pretty much everyone else. And is pressuring other governments to keep them out as well. Huawei claims not. And Huawei is calling foul.

So, are Americans being kept safe or are they simply being denied the best gear at the best price or maybe just cheaper gear for a cheaper price?

Carolina Milanesi, consumer tech analyst at Creative Strategies, author at Techpinions, and one of the brightest and most insightful people in the industry, joins me to figure it all out.

○ Video: YouTube
○ Podcast: Apple | Overcast | Pocket Casts | RSS
○ Column: iMore | RSS
○ Social: Twitter | Instagram

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.