Huawei To Help Bring 5G To Bolivia

It was announced on Wednesday that Chinese tech giant Huawei will provide technical support to Bolivia’s nationalized telecom company in rolling out 5G technology in the country's three largest cities. 

RELATED:

Chinese Huawei Beats Trump's Ban, Makes a $58.3 Billion Profit

Oscar Coca, Bolivia’s Minister for Public Works, held a press conference with an executive from Huawei, at which it was announced that the Chinese company will work with ENTEL, the Bolivian telecom company that was nationalized by Evo Morales’ leftist government in 2008. 

The joint project will bring 5G to Bolivia, with ENTEL leading the project with a $70 million dollar investment. Huawei will be providing technical assistance to ENTEL as they establish Bolivia’s 5G infrastructure. 

Coca commented;  “Many around the world are testing this technology. In Bolivia, ENTEL is the first (company) to provide this unique feature, it has an infrastructure of more than 8,000 radiobases and 17 thousand kilometers of fiber optic cable installed throughout the country that allows it to reach high speeds and offer great benefits.”

The U.S. has forced other countries to drop Huawei as a 5G partner due to it being a Chinese company. In May, the U.S. government told the UK that they must not partner with Huawei, and if they did, then the U.S. would stop sharing crucial intelligence information with the British government. 

The attacks against Huawei are part of the ongoing trade war between China and the U.S., in a move than many have described as an attempt to stem China’s economic growth. 

Nevertheless, Bolivia has decided to partner with Huawei, and has strengthened ties with China in recent years as President Evo Morales expresses his desire to strengthen multipolarity as an alternative to U.S. hegemony.