Huawei contract for Perth trains confirmed by WA Government despite US-China fight – ABC

What happened: The Australian government has confirmed it will move forward with a Huawei contract to build digital radio systems for data and voice services for trains in Perth. The Chinese telecommunication firm won the $200 million contract from the Australian Public Transport Authority in July. It was shelved by Canberra one month later, following a ban on Huawei equipment for constructing the 5G network in Australia. The work is now proceeding and will be completed by 2021.

Why its important: The Australian government ordered a review of the contract in January following charges filed by the US government against Huawei for conspiracy, bank fraud, and trade secret theft. The allegations have prompted scrutiny of Huawei’s business operations in various countries. Apart from government restrictions in the US and UK, top US research universities including the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University have frozen their collaborations with Huawei. Since then, however, there has been a shift in attitude from governments in New Zealand and Australia , following Huawei’s lawsuit against the US over the charges.

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Jill Shen

Jill Shen is Shanghai-based technology reporter. She covers Chinese mobility, autonomous vehicles, and electric cars. Connect with her via e-mail: jill.shen@technode.com or Twitter: @yushan_shen

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