The US-orchestrated attempt to bar Huawei and ZTE from allies’ 5G networks on grounds of national security risk has not gone smoothly. Only Australia and, to a more limited extent, Japan have imposed bans so far, though several other governments, including those of the biggest European states, are debating the issue. But the saga is certainly having an impact, though not yet on Huawei’s financial performance (see separate item). Across Europe, it is likely to lead to reviews of current security practice and stiffer new codes of conduct, designed to improve protections against spyware, wherever it might come from, without resorting to bans which are deeply unpopular with operators and could increase the time and cost to deploy 5G. In…