Huawei was the sole 4G RAN supplier for Norway Telenor
Following what Telenor Chief Executive Sigve Brekke is calling an “extensive” security evaluation, the Norwegian operator selected Ericsson to deploy its 5G RAN in Norway, scaling back on previous collaboration with Huawei on LTE infrastructure. Brekke also stated that factors such as technical quality, innovation and modernization of the network were also taken into consideration.
“Based on the comprehensive and holistic evaluation, we have decided to introduce a new partner for this important technology shift in Norway,” he said.
Huawei was Telenor’s sole 4G RAN supplier in Norway.
Telenor will continue to use Huawei to maintain its 4G network and handle upgrades to 5G in some parts of the country during the transition to Ericsson equipments, the operator said in a statement, adding that full network modernization will take between four years to five years to complete.
While this is another significant blow to Huawei, which has been banned from participating in 5G deployments in the U.S. and Australia due to allegations its equipment allows the Chinese government to spy, the company did secure a win last week in the form of German mobile operator Telefónica Deutschland, which announced that it allow Huawei to help build its 5G network despite the ongoing global tension.
“The 5G era is here. This will be the one technology that will most transform our society in the next decade,” Brekke tweeted as part of the announcement.
Telenor is planning to launch 5G in the country in 2020.
