5:00 AM -- The hurdles over which Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. must jump in its efforts to become a supplier to Tier 1 US carriers just got even higher.

According to The Washington Post, in late 2009 the US National Security Agency warned AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) that if it wanted to retain high-value business with the US government it should procure next-generation voice equipment from companies other than the Chinese vendor. The carrier subsequently ordered systems from Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) and Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC), the newspaper reports.

Earlier this year, eight US senators raised security concerns about the possible deployment of Huawei equipment by Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) (See US Gets Worried About Huawei .)

Huawei, now one of the world's biggest suppliers of telecom equipment with annual revenues of nearly US$22 billion, is determined to break into the North American market, and has hired various big names to help its cause. (See Where's Matty? and Huawei's Latest US Offensive.)

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading