Only limited licences for French operators using Huawei 5G technology
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PARIS • China's Huawei is not totally banned from France's next-generation 5G wireless market, but French operators using the technology will get only limited licences, the head of the national cyber-security agency said.
China yesterday urged France to guarantee a "fair and just" environment for its companies.
Mr Guillaume Poupard, the head of France's national cyber-security agency ANSSI (National Agency for Security Information Systems), had told Les Echos newspaper on Sunday: "What I can say is that there won't be a total ban."
His comments came after several Western nations barred the Chinese telecom giant from participation in their 5G networks over security fears.
Mr Poupard said: "The operators who don't use Huawei, we encourage them not to go that way because it's kind of the natural way of things.
"For those who are already using it, we issue permits that last between three years and eight years."
Those restrictions will likely limit Huawei's access to France's 5G network. Huawei is competing mainly against Sweden's Ericsson and Finland's Nokia for the contract.
The United States has raised concerns that Huawei's technology could be used by China as a Trojan horse to spy on other countries.
France's decision over Huawei's equipment is crucial for two of the country's four telecom operators, Bouygues Telecom and SFR, as about half of their current mobile network is made by the Chinese group. The state-controlled Orange has already chosen Nokia and Ericsson for its network.
Yesterday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing that Beijing hoped France can allow the market and enterprises to "make a choice in their own interests".
He urged France to take "practical action to provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises of all countries, including Chinese enterprises".
Mr Poupard had said on Sunday that the choice was made to protect French independence, and not as an act of hostility towards China.
"This is not Huawei bashing or anti-Chinese racism," Mr Poupard said. "All we're saying is that the risk is not the same with European suppliers as with non-Europeans."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
