The three companies will connect 20 communities in the Arctic and 50 in Northeastern Quebec. A federal security review approved the project, said Alykhan Velshi, Huawei Canada vice-president of corporate affairs, at an Ottawa press conference on Monday. Meanwhile, Huawei and a Chinese state-controlled firm supplied equipment to a North Korean carrier partly owned by the government and helped it build a wireless network, according to leaked documents and former employees. Huawei said it has “no business presence” in the country. (CBC, Washington Post)

Talking point: The Ice-Iristel-Huawei project comes as the last firm waits to see if it will be allowed to sell equipment to telecommunications firms building 5G networks in Canada. The government has reportedly put off a decision until after the scheduled fall election. As it waits, Huawei is re-doubling its Canadian efforts. Last week, The Logic reported Huawei would expand in Canada despite reported cutbacks in the U.S. The firm has also granted dozens of media interviews with executives, tours of sensitive research facilities and even released a diary entry from detained CFO Meng Wanzhou, who is currently in Vancouver facing extradition to the U.S., where she has been charged with violating sanctions on Iran. If the U.S. government decides Huawei violated its rules against doing business with North Korea, it could impose additional charges or bans on the company and its executives.