As European leaders discuss ways of countering foreign interference, information manipulation and attacks on democracy, particularly from Russia and China, Portugal is about to become the latest western nation to effectively block Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G network.
1. National security
The Portuguese government recently released a statement outlining its decision to prohibit the use of 5G equipment from suppliers based outside the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This measure, the government says, aims to safeguard national networks from potential security risks associated with equipment supplied by companies from these “high-risk” regions.
Despite a public statement by Ren Zhengfei, Huawei’s founder, dismissing US accusations that the telco giant helps Beijing to spy on western governments, numerous countries allege that Huawei’s products may purposely contain security holes that China’s government could use for spying purposes. Also, some countries allege that Huawei steals intellectual property from foreign technology companies.
According to the Portuguese media, Admiral António Gameiro Marques, who presides over the Superior Council for Cybersecurity, the national security authority that took the decision, clarified that “the decision is not a recommendation but it is final and to be complied with.”
As a result of the aforementioned security assessment, the [Security Assessment] Committee may determine the exclusion, application of restrictions on the use or cessation of use of equipment or services, and shall establish, whenever appropriate, a reasonable period for the respective compliance, which means that the resolution is binding.
Admiral António Gameiro Marques
This decision effectively excludes Chinese suppliers, including Huawei, which had previously collaborated with some Portuguese telecommunications firms to develop their 5G networks. The main targets were the incumbent operators in Portugal — Altice, NOS and Vodafone — but there were also contacts with Nowo and Digi, which still do not have their own mobile networks but have 5G licenses.
Earlier this year, Altice Portugal turned to Nokia Oyj as the equipment provider for its core 5G network. So far, no timeline was provided for telecommunication companies in Portugal to remove equipment supplied by these now-banned suppliers from their networks.
2. EU Toolbox
While the EU has not issued a blanket ban on Huawei, the bloc recommended its member states to conduct risk assessments of 5G suppliers and to implement necessary security measures. Gameiro Marques said the Portuguese government’s assessment took particularly into account the methodology contained in the European Commission’s document Cybersecurity of 5G networks: EU Toolbox. The cybersecurity team assessed risk mitigating measures and integrated the information collected from national telecommunications operators and the main suppliers of network equipment in Portugal.
Moreover, the Portuguese government consulted legislation and regulations applied in other countries, including EU countries with experience in the security of public 5G electronic communications networks and which have already implemented similar measures, including Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania, in addition to the United Kingdom.
In July 2020, the UK government announced that Huawei equipment would be banned from its 5G network infrastructure. A few months later, in October, Sweden banned Huawei and ZTE from participating in its 5G network in October 2020, both countries cited national security concerns to justify the ban.
