- Nokia CEO urges Europe to consider banning Huawei and ZTE amid over security reasons and a shrinking China market share for European vendors
- Nokia, along with Ericsson, has faced significant barriers in China, where authorities have reportedly told Nordic vendors that they will be excluded on national security grounds
- European operators still rely heavily on Huawei, raising geopolitical and security concerns
- Huawei has already been banned or restricted from supplying 5G equipment to 10 European Union (EU) countries, as well as the U.K.
- Most recently, both Huawei and ZTE components were barred from 5G networks in Germany
“Why do we [Europeans] allow high-risk vendors in Europe when we have less than 3% of the market share in China?” Hotard questioned. “European operators should provide European vendors with the same opportunities that Chinese companies receive at home," Nokia CEO Justin Hotard.
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The CEO’s remarks come amid mounting geopolitical tensions and growing scrutiny of Chinese telecom equipment in Europe, where several countries have already imposed partial or full bans on Huawei and ZTE products.
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Spain PM Sanchez contracted China’s Huawei for the storage of judicial wiretaps, to provide an example. This is about security, not what you like. Spain gives such sensitive issue into the hands of a company from a dictatorial regime.