US: AT&T under pressure from US gov to cut ties with China’s Huawei

Washington lawmakers are said to be trying to get telecoms giant AT&T to quit all commercial ties with Chinese electronics firm Huawei for reasons of national security.

Reuters reports that congressional aides have claimed that the US government is seeking to block plans for China Mobile to enter the US market. The company launched a mobile virtual network operator in the UK last month.

President Donald Trump has already said that he intends to crack down on Chinese investments, including takeovers of US companies like Motorola and their handling of the “North Korea problem.”

Last week AT&T abandoned plans to offer the current flagship Huawei handsets after members of Congress lobbied the federal regulator to nix the idea.

The two companies are still working together over common standards for the next generation 5G mobile networks, and its handsets are available in deals through AT&T budget offshoot Cricket.

The US government has already blocked a string of Chinese acquisitions over national security concerns, including Ant Financial’s proposed purchase of US money transfer company MoneyGram International.

Full Content: Reuters

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