The fledgling centre-right government in Portugal will maintain the previous administration’s ban on telecom companies in the country using Chinese equipment in their 5G networks, Reuters reports.
In May 2023, Portugal’s national cybersecurity board banned Chinese equipment from high-speed 5G mobile networks, and advocated the removal of such equipment from the 4G networks that served as the basis for the new technology. The decision was a blow to Huawei in particular, as the Chinese communications giant aimed to enter the emerging 5G market and extend its existing contracts. The company filed a lawsuit with a Lisbon court challenging the decision in September of last year.
Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz, part of the centre-right government that took power in April 2024, told broadcaster Now that “there are certain policies that must have continuity and security is one of them,” dashing any hopes that a new administration might re-open the door to Chinese firms.
[See more: China’s visa snub is ‘not linked to Portugal’s Huawei ban’]
Lisbon’s decision is in line with the Toolbox for 5G Security guidelines, published by the European Union (EU) March 2021. The document advises member nations to “assess the risk profile of suppliers” and apply restrictions to them, including “necessary exclusions to effectively mitigate risks.”
While Luz acknowledged that Portugal was taking a stricter approach to their 5G network than some European countries, Lisbon is hardly alone. Several other EU countries – namely Estonia, France, Germany, Romania and Sweden – as well as former member nation, Britain, have also effectively banned Huawei from their networks.
Portugal’s main telecoms operators have already agreed to not use Huawei technology in their 5G core networks. Removing the Chinese company’s equipment from existing infrastructure, a Huawei-commissioned study revealed, could cost 339 million euros (US$375.12 million) – around a third of the total projected cost of over 1 billion euros to exclude the tech giant. Luz minimised this, telling Reuters that operators would have “a wide time window” to replace equipment.
