The Finnish Parliament (Eduskunta) is considering a proposal TPA 151/2020 to exclude Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from tendering telecoms bids in Finland, to restrict the use of their equipment, and to oblige companies and public administration to eliminate all Chinese companies’ 5G and ancillary technology within an appropriate transition period. The proposal cited national security concerns and competition benefits, referring to domestic supplier Nokia.
The proposal for the new law said Swedish security police (Sapo) and the UK’s MI6 intelligence agency had called China a security threat and that recently, Sweden had banned the use of Chinese manufacturers’ equipment for 5G networks. The UK had done so in July, and both Germany and France are significantly restricting the position of Chinese vendors for cyber security reasons, the proposal said.
In Sweden, Chinese companies’ technology must be phased out by 2025 and in the UK by 2027. Swedish competitor Ericsson has already benefited commercially from the changed situation, the Finnish proposal added.
