Huawei would sell its 5G licenses to avoid espionage accusations

Huawei would agree to sell all its patents and industrial information on 5G to other companies. They thus want to avoid suspicions of espionage and reduce the continuous accusations of committing acts of espionage.

Huawei's CEO Ren Zhengfei said on behalf of the company that they are willing to help power a Western rival in the global 5G race. This is not free, as they seek to ease tensions with the West. Ren discussed the possibility of giving another company perpetual access to its existing 5G patents, codes and blueprints in exchange for a one-time payment.

Sale of patents in exchange for a return to normality

Ren commented that the license would give the buyer the freedom to modify Huawei's source code, in order to address any potential spying issues. The potential cybersecurity threat that Huawei presents to Western nations has been a contentious topic among Five Eyes. It is an intelligence sharing alliance between the countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While Australia, New Zealand and the US have banned their respective national carriers from buying 5G equipment from Huawei, Canada and the UK have yet to do the same. As part of this ongoing agreement, Huawei would keep all of its existing carrier contracts and continue to develop new 5G technology, as well as work to secure new sales contracts.

Several outlets claim that it is difficult to say whether the plan can work. They note that it is unclear whether the Chinese government would agree to Huawei essentially selling a portion of its most valuable assets to a foreign company. Similarly, no company is known to be really interested in purchasing Huawei's 5G patents. The trade blockade is unlikely to be eased in this way, something that The launch of the Huawei Mate 30 is already conditioned.

Source Engadget