The Portuguese telecommunications regulatory body, ANACOM, stated today that it is working with operators to implement a high-level decision effectively banning Huawei equipment from 5G mobile networks in the country, despite legal objections from the Chinese company.
The decision by the CSSC Council, the advisory body to the Portuguese Prime Minister, represents a blow to the Chinese group’s ambitions to enter the Portuguese 5G network market and extend contracts through fourth-generation platforms that support new technology, even though the decision did not mention Huawei by name.
This decision signifies a policy shift that deals a harsh blow to Huawei’s aspirations in Europe, in late August, Huawei filed a lawsuit in a Lisbon court against the decision, seeking to protect its legitimate interests and legal rights under the law.
Portugal’s major operators, Altice, NOS, and Vodafone, have indicated that they will not use Huawei equipment in the core networks of 5G, amid European and American concerns that Chinese involvement in critical infrastructure could pose security risks, Beijing and Huawei have rejected such suggestions.
João Cadete de Matos, the President of ANACOM, stated, “ANACOM is responsible for implementing the decision, and we execute all decisions related to security within the national and European frameworks.
This is an ongoing process, and we hope for its successful implementation, we can confirm that we are also working closely with the operators, and there is a strong collaboration between the government and the telecommunications regulatory body.”
Regarding Huawei’s legal suit, Matos said in a press conference, “It is necessary to await its development, but what is most important is that ANACOM is working in a clear, thoughtful, and rigorous manner to achieve the country’s expectations.”
Mario Campolargo, the Portuguese State Secretary for Digitalization, who chairs the advisory body to the Portuguese Prime Minister, had earlier pointed out that the decision reached by the body in May was based on a strict independent security assessment following European Union guidelines and did not specifically target Chinese suppliers.
