SPANISH telecom giant Telefonica is set to phase out equipment made by Chinese technology company Huawei from Spain’s 5G network.
“In both Germany and Spain, we are reducing our exposure to Huawei following the rules we have in these countries,” Emilio Gayo, Telefonica’s chief operating officer said last week.
The move comes after a new Spanish law was passed dictating that telecom companies must phase out Huawei-made technology over fears that the Chinese government could use the devices to spy on critical infrastructure.
Huawei’s connection to the Chinese government has proven controversial over recent years, with some experts warning that the company represents a potential threat to national security.
Several governments – including in the UK, US, Australia and Canada – have already banned Huawei from participating in 5G infrastructure amid fears that the company’s equipment could be weaponised by the Communist Chinese government.
READ MORE: Spain under fire from US and EU for €12M deal with China’s Huawei to store judicial wiretaps
Huawei was founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengefi, a former engineer in the People’s Liberation Army.
While Huawei is registered as a private company, China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law requires companies to support and cooperate with the country’s intelligence services.
Western experts fear the Chinese government could use this legislation to compel companies to hand over sensitive data.
Huawei has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing or government control.
Earlier this summer, the Spanish government came under fire after awarding a multimillion euro contract to Huawei to store judicial wiretaps, prompting US officials to question its intelligence sharing procedures with Madrid.
While the government insisted that there was ‘no security risk’, allies across the EU and in the US baulked at the contract, with one Dutch member of European Parliament describing the move as a ‘big mistake’.
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