Orange venture in Belgium replaces Huawei and awards 5G contract to Nokia
The logo of French telecom operator Orange is pictured on the facade of the Belgian unit in Brussels, Belgium
Telecoms operators Orange Belgium announced onon Friday that it has selectedNokiato renew its networks and roll out 5G instead on Huawei.
Orange along withlocal rival Proximushad decided to progressively replace Huawei-mademobile equipment in Belgium and Luxembourg with Nokia equipment.
The Belgian division of the operators, which share their mobile network, signed an agreement last year to share their mobile network, which is why the decision to shift to Nokia was a collective one.
Sources close to the matter saidthey had faced political pressure to drop Huawei as a supplier following USaccusations that Huawei’s gear could be used for spying by Beijing.
The move by Orange and Proximus represents one of the first cases in Europe where commercial operators have dropped Huawei from their next generation mobile Internet, or 5G, networks in response to political pressure.
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While the United States is pressing allies to bar Huawei from 5G networks on security grounds, China and Huawei deny the spying allegations.
Belgium’s capital Brussels is home to the European Union’s executive body and parliament, making it a strategic location and a matter of particular concern for USintelligence agencies.
"This is the outcome of a tender organised by operators and the result of the free market," a Huawei spokesman said on the issue.
"We embrace fair competition, the more diversified a supply chain the more competitive it becomes," he said, adding that Huawei has been supplying equipment in Belgium for more than a decade and its commitment remains unchanged.
Nokia announced late last month it had clinched a deal with Britain's biggest mobile operator BTto supply 5G radio equipment.