Three Major Portugal Telcos Will Not Use Huawei Despite Any Action From Government
NOS, Vodafone, and Altice are the three companies that hold major stakes in Portugal’s mobile phone market. They have recently said that they will not use Huawei technology for their 5G networks despite any actions taken by the government in banning the Chinese group from supplying critical infrastructure.
The three companies together serve nearly 100% of Portugal’s mobile customers. They gave all said against using Huawei kit in the core systems of their 5G networks. This will cover gateways, servers, and routers that are responsible for forwarding traffic to the antennas. Amid the intense pressure from the United States to ban the Chinese group. Using Huawei for next-generation mobile networks has become an issue in Europe.
There have been no actions from the side of the Portuguese government. Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos has revealed that the group created by the Portuguese government to assess risks and cybersecurity issues had not drawn any direct conclusions against a particular supplier.
Also Read: France will Encourage 5G Telcos to Avoid Using 5G Network Equipment by Huawei
NOS spokeswoman said the company “will not have Huawei equipment in its core network” and will choose the best partners for each component.
Vodafone’s spokeswoman of Portugal said that: “Vodafone announced that its core 5G network won’t include Huawei in its different operations, so naturally, Vodafone Portugal is no exception.” She added that Vodafone Portugal “has been working on preparing its 5G network with its preferred and historic partner Ericsson.”
Similarly, Alexandre Fonseca, CEO of Altice Portugal, has set out a stance as early as March in which they hadn’t even included Huawei.
The companies have not yet given any reason for not using Huawei in their core networks. The decision takes by the three telecom groups regarding Huawei will allow the Portuguese government to not take a stance.
Nuno Santos confirmed that he had heard Huawei will justify out of core 5G networks, but he added “It has nothing to do with the options or impositions of the Portuguese government, which in this matter is absolutely aligned with the European orientation.”