Security and political concerns about Huawei's involvement in 5G networks remain heightened globally - with the British government expected to decide this month whether it'll allow the Chinese company to participate in its network.
The US has kept up the pressure on Britain, presenting new evidence claiming to show security risks posed by using the Chinese firm.
In New Zealand, Spark is no longer pursuing its original bid to use Huawei on the periphery of its network, after it was last year rejected by the Government Communications Security Bureau, although it hasn't ruled out applying again in future.
With fifth generation wireless technology for cell networks to be rolled out at a rapid pace this year, the Prime Minister's chief science advisor, Juliet Gerrard speaks to Kim Savage about the risks and benefits of the new technology.
