Amid all the furore over Huawei – whether its equipment will be banned from some 5G networks, what the impact would be on operators – it is easy to forget that the US attacks on Chinese technology suppliers initially focused on the second vendor, ZTE. Because it is smaller than its compatriot, and less active in developed economies outside China, ZTE is sometimes underestimated in terms of its impact on the 5G landscape. But in reality, ZTE is a major contributor to 5G and related patents, which alone will give it significant influence over the way future platforms shape up (assuming the US-China trade wars do not result in a full division between western and Chinese alliances when it comes…