Speaking anonymously, executives at the two telecom giants said they are optimistic Ottawa won’t ban Huawei from participating in 5G networks, despite the U.S., Australia and New Zealand all doing so. (Globe and Mail)

Talking point: Bell and Telus have invested heavily in Huawei equipment over the past few years, and stand to lose over $1 billion if they have to remove it. When U.K. telecom giant BT announced it would rip out Huawei equipment early this month, the Chinese company quickly promised to spend US$2 billion to assuage security concerns. Pressure is mounting on Canada to join the rest of the Five Eyes and limit Huawei’s access to sensitive infrastructure. This move by Bell and Telus to try and put that off is a not-so-thinly veiled attempt for financial support from the government to defray costs if Ottawa does limit Huawei.