US reportedly mulls requiring domestic 5G equipment to be made outside China – CNET

The Trump administration is apparently looking into requiring that 5G equipment used in the US be designed and put together outside China. The talks kicked off after an executive order issued last month required a 150-day review of the US telecoms supply chain, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

White House officials want to know if telecom equipment manufacturers can make hardware destined for the US, like cell tower electronics, routers, switches and software, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources. The review deadline isn’t until October, so these conversations seemingly are in early stages and any decisions could take years to adopt.

Companies including Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson — both of which sell equipment to US wireless carriers — to move some operations outside China to maintain those relationships, the report noted.

Trump’s May order specifically targeted Huawei, essentially banning the Chinese company in light of national security concerns that it had close ties with the country’s government — a charge it repeatedly denied.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

First published at 2:35 a.m. PT.
Updated at 3:15 a.m. PT: Adds more detail.