Norway is considering whether to exclude Huawei from building 5G network, justice minister says, citing espionage fears

Huawei gear is used in Norway’s 4G networks, but Oslo shares US and UK concerns about the Chinese firm’s 5G technology, says Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara

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Norway’s state-controlled telecoms 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. Photo: AP

Published: 7:08am, 10 Jan 2019Updated: 7:08am, 10 Jan 2019

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.

An attendee walks by the Huawei booth at the CES 2019 consumer electronics show at the Las Vegas Convention Centre on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

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.

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“We share the same concerns as the United States and Britain and that is espionage on private and state actors in Norway,” Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara said in an interview on the sidelines of a business conference.