Telefónica Spain will use Huawei for 5G
December 9, 2019
Telefónica Spain will use Huawei equipment in the core of its 5G network in Spain but the MNO is set to confirm a second supplier next year.
The decision was reported in Expansion. Huawei was the sole provider of core network technology in Telefónica’s 3G and 4G networks. The report says the second supplier could be Ericsson or Nokia, or one of the new players, such as Mavenir or Affirmed Networks.
Telefónica is the leading provider of services to the Spanish public sector and government, although Vodafone has won a number of contracts.
Dutch operator KPN signed agreement with Huawei earlier this year to upgrade its mobile radio and antenna network (RAN) but said it will select a “Western vendor” for the core 5G network.
Last week, Deutsche Telekom froze all 5G deals with vendors, awaiting a decision about the use of Huawei in its networks.
EU member states are due to agree on EU-level measures to mitigate 5G cybersecurity risks by December 31st 2019, following a report published in October.