Huawei's exclusion from 5G network is last resort - Polish official

2019-04-16 19:05 update: 2019-04-18, 10:23
Fot. EPA/JENS SCHLUETER
Fot. EPA/JENS SCHLUETER
The exclusion of any supplier from the tenders for the construction of Poland's 5G network should be treated as a measure of last resort, PAP was told by government commissioner for cybersecurity Karol Okoński, also a deputy minister for digital affairs.

Huawei has been under fire in the United States as the country considers the Chinese technology giant as a security threat. Washington has also been urging its allies to steer clear of Huawei when implementing 5G technology.

"Poland, similarly to other European Union countries, is guided by free market principles. Therefore the exclusion of any supplier should be treated as a measure of last resort," Karol Okoński told PAP.

"From the cybersecurity point of view, we believe that our information and communications infrastructure must not be dependent on any single supplier, regardless of their country of origin," the deputy minister said.

"The final decisions have not been made yet. While making them, we will take into account opinions from other EU countries as well as our NATO allies," the cybersecurity commissioner said.

The European Commission has also expressed concerns over Huawei's technology due to China's requirement for all Chinese technology suppliers to cooperate with the country's special services. (PAP)


jd/mf/