Telefonica to Dismantle Huawei Equipment in Spain and Germany

Spain-based operator group Telefonica plans to remove Huawei gear from its 5G networks in Spain and Germany. Telefonica COO Emilio Gayo said that the operator is reducing exposure to Huawei in both countries, where governments have mandated the phase-out of the vendor’s equipment from 5G core networks due to national security concerns.

In the UK, where a similar ban is in place, Gayo added that Telefonica’s exposure to Huawei is already very low. However, the operator confirmed it will continue using Huawei equipment in Brazil and other Latin American markets, where no such restrictions are in place. Company CEO Marc Murtra emphasized that equipment from all suppliers is subject to strict internal standards, ensuring security for the company and its customers.

Huawei has faced restrictions across European markets for a number of years, with governments citing national security risks. However, Spain did recently award a €12 million wiretap contract to Huawei, which was met with a warning from the European Commission. The body warned that Huawei represents materially higher risks than other suppliers. A Huawei spokesperson said that all of its products in Spain fully comply with local laws, regulations, and applicable product admission criteria and standards.

Regarding the wiretap equipment in question, OceanStor Dorado, the company stated it is a common flash storage hardware that adheres to Spain’s National Security Scheme and ICT security guidelines. “Huawei has no access to customer data; all the information stored in hardware belongs to and is at the exclusive disposal of the customer,” the spokesperson said.