Andrew Bonwick
Vice President of Product Development at Relm Insurance
Madhav Sheth
CEO of Ai+ Smartphone
Stephen Rose
CEO Render Networks


Huawei and ZTE are amongst the major telecom gear manufacturers and suppliers globally. Both the companies have played a pivotal role in helping operators across the world launch mobile networks. Be it 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G, both Huawei and ZTE have been involved in the telecom market for a long time.
However, the recent developments and negative branding of the companies might leave them financially paralysed in the coming few years. For starters, countries such as the US and India, which have major telecom markets, are slowly phasing out Chinese vendors from their network ecosystem.
Governments are worried about national security because of the alleged ties of Huawei and ZTE with the Chinese government. The allegations haven’t been proved yet, and both the companies at every point have denied any such connection.
Regardless, once the perception is made, the market reacts. That is what is happening with Huawei and ZTE. The Indian government has already said that telcos can’t purchase gear or equipment from any vendor that is not in the ‘trusted list’ determined by the National Cybersecurity Coordinator (NCSC).
Lowering Reputation of Huawei and ZTE
The premier telco of India, Bharti Airtel, has had some good and long-standing partnerships with Huawei. Sunil Bharti Mittal has been found backing Chinese vendors on multiple occasions, saying they have proven technology at a cheaper cost.
But while the cost might be lesser for the telco, it might become too expensive for the government when it has to face network security threats from China.