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The supplier was not named, but the cybersecurity chief cites “high-risk suppliers”, which is often code for Chinese technicians
THE FinancialTimes [subscription needed] reports that the Portuguese government appears to be considering banning Huawei gear from 5G networks in what would be a major policy shift.
A deliberation by senior national security official António Gameiro Marques outlines the rationale and plans to exclude or restrict the use of high-risk equipment in the country’s 5G network – though what will be considered high risk is not specified – and deliberation is non-binding without Cabinet approval.
Who is at high risk?
“High-Risk Seller” is used by many governments around the world to refer to Huawei and other Chinese technology vendors when banning or restricting the use of their equipment in national infrastructure.
Altice Portugal (part of billionaire Patrick Drahi’s empire) is the largest of the country’s three major mobile operators and signed a deal with Huawei in 2018 pledging to deploy its technology in its 5G build.
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During the Trump presidency, the US administration lobbied governments around the world to ban the use of Huawei equipment in telecommunications infrastructure on the grounds that it would be used by the Chinese government for espionage purposes. He also accused the company of violating international trade sanctions against Iran and industrial espionage, among other things.
President Biden has continued where his predecessor left off in his stance on China, especially as tensions mount over the possibility of China invading Taiwan.
Some countries like Australia did not need harsh encouragement, others including the UK hesitated but eventually decided on a ban along with Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Europe’s largest economy, Germany is still considering the issue.
Risk of retaliation?
China openly threatened Sweden – and Swedish network equipment supplier Ericsson – with retaliation when it banned the use of Huawei equipment in the country’s 5G infrastructure, which is interesting in light of a possible ban by Portugal, which is one of the largest per capita recipients. Chinese investments.
After plunging into the economic slump for a few years, the FinancialTimes says Portugal has prospered as economic ties between the two countries have grown over the past decade.
