According to Yahoo News, China’s Huawei has offered to spend the roughly $80 million for equipment to make mobile phone reception available in London’s sprawling subway system. This package is being offered as a gift from “one Olympic host nation to another.” The assumption is that Huawei would make its money back over time through maintenance contracts, but some politicians are raising red flags over the Huawei’s potential control over a critical piece of London’s wireless infrastructure. These concerns aren’t entirely unfounded as China has not only proven to be the largest source of state funded hacking of foreign assets but also shown its ability to exact whatever information it requires from companies within its national control. It may seem paranoid but this is a legitimate concern. A foreign corporation from a nation with considerable control over its domestic corporations will have control over cellular networks in the subway, frequented by millions, many of them business men and women with access to critical resources. Considering a deal with Sprint in the US was killed over similar concerns, I have doubts this will be approved.
[Engadget] Via [Yahoo News]
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