Huawei Technologies unveiled an open lab for next-generation 5G wireless network in South Korea on Thursday, but kept the launch low-key given its recent blacklisting by the United States, a key security ally of the Asian nation. Instead, it chose to restrict the invitations to anonymous Korean tech and enterprise bosses, the Reuters reports.
Huawei Korea said that telecom giants’ absence stems from the fact the event was exclusively designed for small and medium-sized enterprises who are seeking to enhance their partnership with the Chinese company. Huawei said it planned to invest about $5 million in the lab in the Junggu district of Seoul. It did not provide any more details on the location and did not invite media to the launch.
According to a Huawei Korea spokesperson, “after hearing some small businesses suffered from the latest controversy, we decided not to hold a media event. It’s an exaggeration to say that we scaled down the event substantially. The only thing canceled was a media event,”.
Currently, Huawei provides its 5G network equipment for a small South Korean carrier LG Uplus. LG Uplus has said it does not plan to remove Huawei gear, but promised to step up security checks. The two bigger carriers, SK Telecom and KT, do not use Huawei gear.
Earlier this month, the U.S. government banned Huawei’s equipment in its market, citing security concerns, and has been pressuring other countries to boycott its products. The now storied saga is still ongoing, but the effects have spread quickly. South Korea is in an awkward situation between the U.S., a key military ally, and China, its top trading partner, taking a cautious stance over the trade tension.
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