Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
An FBI investigation into Huawei reveals the Chinese telecom company had a pattern of installing equipment on cell towers near military bases in rural America — even if it wasn’t profitable to do so, according to a report from CNN. The unearthed investigation sheds some light on the US government’s motive behind the stalled “rip and replace” program that pushes for the removal of Huawei’s tech throughout the country.
According to CNN, the federal investigation centers around the potential for Huawei’s equipment to intercept military communications, including those transmitted by the US Strategic Command, the agency tasked with handling the US nuclear arsenal. It’s no secret that Huawei sold cheap equipment to smaller, regional telecom…
