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Exclusive: The Vietnamese Cellphone Company That Tried to Smuggle Missile Parts — and the Spies Who Stopped It
An inside look at “Team Telecom,” the little-known U.S. national security unit charged with protecting America’s telecommunications resources
A secretive U.S. national security unit dedicated to protecting America’s telecommunications infrastructure foiled an attempt by Vietnam’s leading cellphone company to smuggle cruise missile parts, OneZero can reveal.
Team Telecom is made up of representatives from Homeland Security, the Department of Justice (including the FBI), as well as the Department of Defense, and reviews foreign investments in U.S. communications assets for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
A previously unreported 2016 investigation into VTA Telecom, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s state-owned phone company Viettel, uncovered efforts to procure and illegally export missile engines and guidance equipment. A Viettel executive, Huy Quang Bui, quietly pled guilty to the charges, served a short sentence in federal prison, and was deported to Vietnam.
The revelation that an Asian wireless operator was actively purchasing military hardware comes at a tough time for foreign…
