France’s Huawei Ban Begins to Kick In With Purge in Urban Areas

  • Toulouse, Brest and Rennes being cleared of vendor’s equipment
  • Phone companies must remove Huawei gear in major cities

 France is seeking to allow Huawei to remain a supplier while keeping it out of the more integral parts of its wireless infrastructure.

Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Phone companies including Altice Europe NV’s SFR unit and Bouygues Telecom have begun removing Huawei Technologies Co.’s wireless equipment from large French cities after the government moved to purge the Chinese vendor from all but isolated parts of the country.

The work started at the beginning of 2021, when France’s Constitutional Council signed off on a ruling that forces carriers to rip out Huawei gear in densely populated areas where networks are being upgraded to fifth-generation wireless technology, according to people familiar with the situation.

Up Next
France’s Huawei Ban Begins to Kick In With Purge in Urban Areas