France prepares to toughen 5G telecom equipment access

Bloomberg

The French government is preparing to toughen access for equipment makers to its future 5G telecommunications networks.
The government is readying an amendment to the appropriate law with a view to make the vetting process for gear more stringent and increase the oversight of suppliers and locations by the concerned authorities, according to the Finance Ministry.
The new rules were added to an existing economic bill and sent to the Senate for a vote. The French government says the extra checks to ensure the security of its 5G network do not target China’s gear marker Huawei, a global manufacturer of the new technology. The US has been urging its allies to avoid using Huawei’s equipment for fear
it can be used in spying, something the company has repeatedly denied.
“It’s perfectly understandable that the government is concerned about questions of national security in its mobile network,” Didier Casas, the president of Federation Francaise des Telecoms, told Bloomberg. “Carriers want to make sure the new regulations will keep allowing them to benefit from a real and effective competition between equipment providers so as to get the best tariffs and technology available. We are satisfied to hear that the government isn’t targeting a provider in particular.”

STRONG WORDS
A French finance ministry official briefed reporters on the amendment, asking not to be identified in line with the ministry’s ground rules.
The government’s briefing follows strong and candid comments from one of France’s most senior cabinet members. In the Senate on Jan. 23, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian mentio-
ned the “risks” of including Huawei in 5G networks equipment. The comments by Le Drian, a trusted aide of President Emmanuel Macron, were the most forceful and public ones against the Chinese
gear maker by a French government official.
For its part, the equipment maker this week said it would consider withdrawing from partnerships that it sees as thwarting its operations, AFP reported from Davos, citing Liang Hua, Huawei’s chairman.
The government move comes amid concerns from carriers that increased scrutiny of equipment suppliers could potentially slow down operations and the deployment of 5G technology.
The technical office overseeing the vetting process will respond within two months to operators on the equipment they can use, the ministry said, citing the amendment to the bill.