Huawei chips away at US ‘security’ ban

Huawei hopes to play a major role in 5G rollouts in France and Germany despite US ban. Photo: AFP / Pedro Fi˙za / NurPhoto

China’s high-tech giant eyes up 5G infrastructure deals in Germany and France

ByGORDON WATTS

Huawei might be persona non grata in the United States but not in the capitals of the European Union.

The heavyweight high-tech group has edged closer to playing a key role in 5G infrastructure projects planned by France and Germany despite Washington pressure on Paris and Berlin.

“We do not target one equipment maker,” Agnes Pannier-Runacher, a junior economy minister in French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s government, said earlier this week. “There are three equipment makers active in France.

“Huawei has a 25% market share, there is also Nokia and Ericsson. Samsung is not active yet in France but is interested by 5G. The government will not exclude anyone. We are not following the position of the United States. We will proceed on a case by case basis,” she added.

Last week, telecoms regulator Arcep finally launched its 5G spectrum sale. The decision came after months of intense debate between France’s operators and authorities on how to roll out ultra-fast 5G networks.

It also followed heated discussions in Germany on whether to allow Huawei to help build the next generation mobile system in the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has been under fire not just from the US but from her own party and parliament to ban the telecom giant. Yet freezing out Huawei could have a negative impact on the lucrative German car industry in China.

Read: Huawei will ‘dominate the world’

Read: China and US in trillion-dollar tech war

A compromise has since been put on the table by her Christian Democratic Union party…….more here

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