Telstra Masks High Risk Chinese ZTE Phones By Branding Them As Their Own
Telstra who recently agreed to pay a $50 million penalty over the sale of mobile plans that left thousands of vulnerable Australians in debt is still recommending to consumers Chinese ZTE Mobile phones that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has designated as a national security threat over concerns their mobile phones could be used for spying.
Telstra who are well aware of the real risks associated with these devices that they have masked by branding them as ‘Telstra’ phones have openly chose not to derange the device despite several options to replace them with other less risky models.
Telstra chief executive Andy Penn who recently admitted the company behaved wrongly in selling products to Australians who did not understand and could not afford the Telstra products made by ZTE has not commented on why Telstra insists on partnering with a high risk Chinese Company who has direct links with the Chinese Communist Government.
Below is how Telstra presents their house branded smartphones that are made by high risk Chinese Company ZTE.
Below is how ZTE sells their relationship with Telstra to customers
The FCC has said ZTE pose a risk of espionage, The FCC is also considering banning three other Chinese telephone companies some who Telstra has relationships with.
Telstra has also worked closely with Huawei who is currently banned by the Australian Government in Australia and ChannelNews understands that Huawei is still working with Telstra on their 4G networks in Australia.
The FCC has designated both Huawei and ZTE as companies that pose a national security threat.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a Nov. 18 blog post that identified Huawei as a threat, said that the latest ZTE ban was “another important step in our ongoing efforts to protect U.S. communications networks from security risks.”
ZTE has not disputed that Chinese law obligates its companies “to provide access, cooperation, and support for the government’s intelligence gathering activities,” Pai said in a tweet.
Other Companies that have an obligation to supply the Chinese Government with information is Oppo, Vivo and Realme along with several other Chinese phone brands whose products are sold in Australia.
Telstra has in the past teamed up with ZTE to help them build their profile in partnership with Telstra, they have also jointly donated funds to groups to help build the Chinese brands profile in Australia.