Strand Says Cost of Replacing Huawei, ZTE Equipment Not a Major Concern

Strand Consult estimates the cost of swapping all the Huawei and ZTE equipment purchased since 2016 and installed in European markets at $3.5 billion. That's much less than the $60 billion estimate reported by some, said its report, set for release Sunday. “The claim that Huawei is needed to create competition cannot be supported by the fact that the company increasingly has a monopoly position and it uses anti-competitive practices.” Removing the equipment would make the networks more secure, Strand concludes: "If there were no security risk to doing business with China, then NATO would buy Chinese fighter planes. There are categories of products and services whose supply is restricted for justifiable security reasons, and national security has long been a part of telecom policy and regulation. National security has long been a part of telecom policy and regulation.” The companies didn't comment Friday.