Huawei calls for common cybersecurity standards amidst concerns

Huawei, in the spotlight over the security risks of its telecom equipment gear, urged governments, the telecoms industry and regulators on Tuesday to work together to create a common set of cybersecurity standards.

The call by Huawei Chairman Ken Hu came as the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker opened a cybersecurity centre in Brussels, allowing its customers and governments to test Huawei’s source code, software and product solutions. 

The company has similar facilities in Britain, Bonn, Dubai, Toronto and Shenzhen. 

"The fact is that both the public and private sectors lack a basic common understanding of this issue. As a result, different stakeholders have different expectations and there is no alignment of responsibilities," Hu told a news conference. 

"As a whole, the industry lacks a unified set of technical standards for security, as well as systems for verification. This is complicated by globalisation of the value chain," he said.

Hu said a common standard, verified legally and technically, would help create trust in the industry. 

Hu, who met with European Commission digital chief Andrus Ansip on Monday, said they had discussed the possibility of setting up a cybersecurity standard along the lines of the GDPR, the landmark EU data protection law adopted last year which gives Europeans more control over their online information and applies to all companies that do business with Europeans.