In an effort to dispel the myths of security concerns, the Chinese telephone-equipment maker Huawei has offered the Australian authorities unrestricted access to its software source code and hardware equipment.
The move came after the Australian government banned Huawei from tendering for National Broadband Network (NBN) contracts due to espionage fears saying that the government needed to protect the integrity of Australia's information infrastructure.
Looking to ease the fears, John Lord, chairman of Huawei's Australian arm said, "Huawei has done a very poor job of communicating about ourselves and we must take full responsibility for that." He urged the Australian government to set up a cyber evaluation centre to test equipment used in the country's communication networks.
A recent report from the U.S. House Intelligence Committee had advised the domestic firms in the U.S. to avoid dealing with Huawei and Shenzhen- based ZTE over security concerns. The report highlighted fears that the Chinese government could install hardware or software in products from these companies to spy on U.S. telecommunications networks.
Refuting the allegations, John Lord said, "We sincerely hope that in Australia, we do not allow sober debate on cyber security to become distorted the way it has in the U.S. The fiery rhetoric of the US committee's report may make good headline fodder in an election year, but it should really be seen as a missed opportunity. It missed the opportunity to address the real issues at stake, to increase awareness of the common threats we face, and to develop methods of countering these threats in a realistic way."
