Clearwire to use Huawei equipment for LTE upgrade after government review, says Reuters

The United States government has green-lit Clearwire’s proposed plans to utilize Huawei equipment as part of its LTE upgrade next year, according to Reuters. The wireless provider stated that they worked with “the technical arms of multiple federal agencies” to review the deal, a crucial step after a US House Intelligence Committee report accused Huawei of being a threat to national security. Sources recently told Reuters that no evidence of spying by Huawei was found after an investigation that followed the report, although the claim was later refuted by White House officials.

Clearwire will be putting all of its vendors’ hardware and software through rigorous tests by a government-approved third party company to examine any possible flaws in security. It’s important to note that Huawei equipment is already being utilized for Clearwire’s existing network and accounts for less than 5 percent of Clearwire’s budget for the LTE update. Samsung Electronics, Cisco Systems, and Ciena Corp will also be providing equipment for the network upgrade.