FCC confirms ZTE is a national security threat, to decide its fate on Dec 10

The US Federal Communications Commission has confirmed ZTE poses a national security threat, Bloomberg reports. According to the FCC, the gear, provided by the Chinese company, can be used for spying.

The agency will meet in two weeks, on December 10, to decide what equipment exactly will be barred from the United States and whether the company will face the same harsh hit as its fellow Chinese company Huawei.

ZTE has denied allegations that its 5G equipment poses a risk. Today’s decision comes after an inquiry from the manufacturer to the commission to reconsider listing it as a national security threat after an initial decision back in June. In an email statement, Ajit Pai, FCC Chairman, was said the decision is “another step in our ongoing efforts to protect US communications networks from security risks.”

In a separate tweet, Pai said that ZTE isn’t disputing the fact that Chinese law obligates its companies to leave a backdoor for the government for “intelligence gathering activities”. Bloomberg pointed out that banning the two major manufacturers of 5G equipment might hurt small rural carriers, especially if they are asked to remove the currently installed equipment by banned parties.

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