ZTE Corp. announced that it has received U.S. government security approval for its network infrastructure, making it the first Chinese vendor to receive the special nod.
The certificate from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) in regards to 140-2 Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program (CAVP) is the latest standard for any product with a cryptographic module purchased in the United States.
ZTE says it uses cryptographic libraries frequently in its wireless infrastructure products for security purposes.
“The success of ZTE’s FIPS CAVP validation indicates a high assurance of the algorithm implementations on these products, and ATSEC will continue to work with ZTE on FIPS CMVP testing and validation,” said Yan Liu, managing director at ATSEC China.
“ZTE provides products and services to more than 500 carriers across more than 140 countries, and transparency is the key to maintaining trusted business relationships,” said Cheng Lixin, CEO at ZTE USA. “As we expand in the U.S., we’re committed to work with U.S. carriers, the FCC and the U.S. government to meet their security standards and requirements and deliver best-in-class products which are reliable and secure.”
It is assumed that this latest round of certification might give ZTE a leg up in the event it wins new contracts in the United States that require government approval.