France's limits on Huawei 5G gear amount to virtual ban by 2028: Sources

PARIS • The French authorities have told telecoms operators planning to buy Huawei 5G equipment that they will not be able to renew licences for the gear once they expire, effectively phasing the Chinese firm out of mobile networks, sources close to the matter said.

France is laying the ground for its 5G mobile market in the middle of a growing geopolitical storm between two global superpowers. The United States says Huawei's equipment could be used by the Chinese government for espionage - a charge both Beijing and Huawei have denied - and has pressed its allies to ban it.

France's cyber security agency ANSSI said this month it would allow operators to use equipment, including Huawei's, under licences of three to eight years, but urged telcos not currently using Huawei gear to avoid it. Operators must each apply for dozens of licences for equipment to cover different parts of the country.

The sources said the bulk of authorisations for Huawei gear were for three or five years, while most of those for gear from European rivals Ericsson or Nokia got eight-year licences.

The sources said operators had also been told by French authorities, not stated formally in documents, that licences granted for Huawei gear will not be renewed. ANSSI declined to comment.

The restrictions amount to a de facto phasing out of Huawei within France's 5G networks by 2028, given the licences' short timeframe, according to the sources who declined to be named.

In Britain, where major telecoms groups are heavily reliant on Huawei technology, the government has ordered the Chinese firm's equipment to be purged from the 5G network by 2027.

"France's position is similar to that of Britain, but the government's communication is different," one of the sources said. "Huawei can't do much about it."

REUTERS