STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Huawei has appealed a court decision which allowed Swedish telecoms regulator PTS to resume 5G spectrum auctions, while planning to exclude the Chinese telecom equipment maker from the country’s 5G networks.
A Swedish court on Dec. 16 backed an appeal by PTS against a ruling to stop the auctions, but also said Huawei could pursue a legal challenge over its exclusion from the country’s 5G rollout.
“Huawei has on January 5 lodged an appeal to the supreme administrative court,” the company said in a statement, adding that PTS’ conditions practically exclude it from the Swedish market as the regulator decided on them without hearing Huawei, in conflict with basic European principles.
PTS said on Dec. 18 that it would resume 5G spectrum auctions on Jan. 19, after being forced to halt them after a challenge from Huawei led to a court injunction.
The United States has been pressuring allies to ban Huawei equipment from 5G networks, alleging it could be used by Beijing for spying. Huawei has repeatedly denied it would allow this to happen.
Sweden said in October it would ban Huawei and Chinese rival ZTE from its 5G rollout due to security risks. It gave companies taking part in 5G auctions until Jan. 1, 2025, to remove those firms’ gear from existing infrastructure and core functions.
Huawei told Reuters in December it was willing to meet any requirement the Swedish government may set on 5G network equipment and take other measures to mitigate concerns.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee and Helena Soderpalm; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
