We’re covering the latest on Huawei 5G in Brazil. The curious court order benefiting Jair Bolsonaro. And the links between more women mayors and lower child mortality rates.
A move against Huawei in Brazil
Telecom Italia has removed Chinese behemoth Huawei from a tender for 5G equipment for the core network it is preparing to build in Italy and Brazil, according to Reuters. Invited suppliers include Sweden’s Ericsson, Finland’s Nokia, and the U.S.’s Cisco, Mavenir, and Affirmed Networks (which was recently acquired by Microsoft).
What’s going on? Earlier this week, Italian newspaper La Reppublica said the country was mulling over banning Huawei from its 5G network over concerns — not yet backed up by evidence — that Huawei hardware could have backdoors allowing the Chinese government to monitor and control networks across the globe, or try to insert malware in government systems.
U-turn. Interestingly, TIM Brazil — a subsidiary of Telecom Italia — had already begun 5G trials in the southern Brazilian city of Florianópolis, using Huawei equipment. TIM has yet to comment on whether or not the trials will continue.
Why it matters. The ‘5G Cold War’ between the U.S. and China is squeezing Brazil between its two main...