INTERNATIONAL – Norway is considering whether to join other western nations in excluding China’s Huawei Technologies from building part of the Nordic country’s new 5G telecommunications infrastructure, its justice minister said on Wednesday.
The Norwegian government is currently discussing measures to reduce potential vulnerabilities in its telecoms industry ahead of the upgrade.
State-controlled operator Telenor, which has 173 million subscribers across eight countries in Europe and Asia, signed its first major contract with Huawei in 2009, a deal that helped pave way for the Chinese firm’s global expansion.
Telenor and competitor Telia currently use 4G Huawei equipment in Norway and are testing equipment from the Chinese company in their experimental 5G networks.
“We share the same concerns as the US and Britain and that is espionage on private and state actors in Norway,” Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara told Reuters on the sidelines of a business conference.
“This question is high priority … we want to have this in place before we build the next round of the telecom network.”
Asked whether there could be actions taken against Huawei specifically, Wara said: “Yes, we are considering the steps taken in other countries, that is part of it - the steps taken in the United States and Britain.”
In August, US President Donald Trump signed a bill that barred the US government from using Huawei equipment and is mulling an executive order that would also bar US companies from doing so.
It is also calling on its allies not to use Huawei equipment when building 5G networks. In Britain, telecoms operator BT is refraining from doing so.
Telenor said it was taking security seriously. “Norway has had full control over critical infrastructure for many, many years and we in Telenor take it very seriously,” Telenor chief executive Sigve Brekke told Reuters.