The decision by the Spanish government to award Huawei a €12 million wiretap contract has drawn criticism from the European Commission (EC). This action is seen as going against its long-term stance of not allowing so-called high-risk vendors to install new telecoms equipment in the bloc.
The Financial Times (FT) reported the EC has cautioned Spain against relying on Huawei, stating the company “represents materially higher risks” than other telecoms suppliers.
Its comments come after it emerged last week Spain had signed a contract with Huawei for the vendor to provide hardware to store wiretaps, used for law enforcement and by Spain’s intelligence services.
Apparently news of the contract led to two senior US lawmakers asking the US government to review its intelligence sharing with Spain.
The EC has told operators across the European Union to place restrictions on high-risk suppliers such as Huawei and ZTE, including a stop on the installation of new equipment.
Two years ago, then European Commissioner Thierry Breton bemoaned slow progress in placing restrictions on vendors deemed high risk, while stating those that excluded the two Chinese vendors from 5G build outs were justified in doing so and in-line with its recommendations. It also released a 5G toolbox of policy recommendations, tailored to the bloc’s cyber security.
However, FT reported Spain is one of the EU’s most China-friendly nations, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has a testy relationship with US President Donald Trump.
Huawei, which has always maintained its equipment is not used for spying, stated its products in Spain “strictly comply with local laws and regulations, as with applicable product admission criteria and standards”.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Stock Image
