Is 5G worth the risk? Czech president says yes

President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman met with Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei in Beijing on April 27. President Zeman voiced his support for Huawei, saying that he believes the allegations against Huawei are groundless. The president also hopes Huawei will play a bigger role in the Czech Republic's economic digitisation and 5G deployment.

Zeman said, "Huawei is a leader in the digital sector, especially in the 5G and smartphone industries. The current allegations against Huawei are groundless, and I hope to see Huawei's continued development in the Czech Republic."

Ren expressed his gratitude to the president for his trust and appreciation. Ren also briefed President Zeman on some basic information about Huawei, including its operations management and shareholding structure.

Ren says, "The Czech Republic is a great nation, as well as a strong power in industry. The Czech Republic has huge potential to further industrial digitisation and AI application. Huawei is eager to make even greater contributions toward facilitating the country's digital economy agenda."

Since establishing its Czech Rep Office in 2003, Huawei has become a strategic partner of the top three carriers in the country.

Dutch telecom provider KPN has also signed a preliminary agreement with Huawei to start preparations for the construction of KPN's new Mobile Radio Access Network in the Netherlands, as part of KPN's mobile network modernisation for 5G. KPN will make a separate decision for the 5G core network in line with its multi-vendor strategy.

Huawei Benelux CEO Steven Cai says, "We appreciate KPN's trust and are honoured with their choice to partner with us for the mobile radio access network modernization. We are committed to supporting KPN in their ambitions to maintain and strengthen their lead in the global telecoms industry.

"We are aware of the concerns and discussions regarding safety and security. It is hard however to defend yourselves when no clear facts are on the table.

"For that reason, we welcome the initiative of the Dutch government with the Taskforce. We will fully cooperate where needed and provide insights and answers where needed.

Huawei has 600 employees in the Netherlands, working from three offices in Amsterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven. In addition, Huawei has a European Logistics Centre in Eindhoven. Earlier this year, Huawei also announced the opening of an R-D Centre in the Netherlands.

Despite concerns about security, Huawei has been making progress in quelling global concern.