Portuguese telecommunications regulator ANACOM said Monday it is working with operators to implement a high-level decision that would effectively ban Huawei equipment from the country's 5G mobile networks, despite the Chinese company's legal objections.
The decision of the CSSC, the advisory body of the Portuguese Prime Minister, was considered a blow to the efforts of Chinese groups to enter the Portuguese 5G market with independent networks and expand contracts to include the 4G platforms on which the new technology depends, even if the issue is that the decision did not mention Huawei by name.
This move represents a political shift and deals a strong blow to the Chinese company's ambitions in Europe. At the end of August, Huawei was dissatisfied with the decision and filed a complaint with the Lisbon court to protect its legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law.
Major Portuguese operators Altice, NOS and Vodafone said they would not use Huawei equipment in their core 5G networks amid concerns in Europe and the United States that Chinese interference in critical infrastructure could jeopardize security. Beijing and Huawei reject such proposals.
ANACOM President João Cadete de Matos said: “The TRA is responsible for implementing this decision and implementing all security decisions within the national and European framework. This is an ongoing process. We hope that the implementation will be successful and we can assure the Portuguese of that. “We are also working with operators and there is close cooperation between the government and the telecommunications regulator.
Regarding the Huawei experience, Matos said in a press conference: “We have to wait for developments, but the most important thing is for the telecommunications regulator to act clearly, thoughtfully and strictly to meet the country’s expectations.”
Mario Camparago, head of the Portuguese Prime Minister's Advisory Agency and Portuguese Secretary of State for Digitization, had previously confirmed that the agency's decision in May was based on a rigorous independent security assessment, followed EU guidelines and did not specifically target Chinese suppliers.