A bit of context: Huawei is the largest telecom equipment company in the world. It posted more than $107B in revenue last year and operates in more than 170 countries, that is a threat to the US. They are also the first to develop 5G technology, which will ensure AI devices function seamlessly, driverless cars not to crash, machines communicate in real time round the world and that nearly every device in the world will be wired.

They just have not risen to the top by accident, they have a whooping 80k staff dedicated to R&D - Thats half of its staff in R&D..

This is def a trade war and the US has been spooked, Huawei having its own OS will be a game changer.

So are we relying on Global Techs? 

I tend to look at it this way, we rely on what works for us. Repercussions - well he who pays the piper...

Best

E Njoroge Mwangi
Technology| FINTECH | Big Data

Cell +44 7539372742
Skype: Erick.mwangi


On Tue, May 21, 2019 at 8:47 AM Alex Comninos via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Thanks for starting the debate.

I think this is a trade war instigated by a madman

Definitely there is a reliance on Global tech, but making trade-war sabre rattling around consumer products is not dealing with the issues involved. 

Its weird the focus is on Google and Android while Huawei has got components in telecom networks around the world. 

Its possible for anyone to backdoor components. 

Its easy to throw these accusations around and there is little scrutiny when pointing at the traditional bad guys. Remember supermicro? https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/04/05/bloomberg-submitted-big-hack-story-award/?utm_term=.4c1c59bb4bb5

There are also western companies doing the same thing. 

I think resorting to not importing tech from other countries is not viable. The only solution would be very hard: open hardware, transparent procurement, controls in the supply chain, and much vigilance.

Best, 
Alex

On 21 May 2019, at 04:28, Kelvin Kariuki via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

Dear Listers,
I hope this email finds you well, this is the current trending topic, I'd like to here your views on this topic from a Policy Perspective.

Are we overrelying on Global Techs? What are the possible repercussions if they pull out on us? Should Global Techs be declared Dominant to balance the market and reduce the risks of a failure? Feel free to add more questions. 

Looking forward to your views on this. 

--
Best Regards,

Kelvin Kariuki
Assistant Lecturer
Multimedia University of Kenya
Faculty of Computing and Information Technology
Twitter Handle: @teacherkaris
Mobile: +2547 29 385 557
The Lord is my Shepherd 
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