Huawei Slams 'Unfair, Unacceptable' Ban From Swedish 5G Networks as US Tech War Campaign Intensifies

The statement comes amid the Trump administration's contentious campaign against the world's largest provider of IT equipment, which has reportedly slowed the global rollout of 5G networks.

Huawei Technologies has said it was "surprised and disappointed" by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority's (PTS) ban of its kit from Swedish 5G networks, a company spokesperson has revealed in a statement seen by Sputnik.

The Chinese telecoms giant stated it was a company "100 [percent] owned by its employees" and that there were no "factual grounds" backing Swedish government allegations the firm was a security threat.

Exclusion from Swedish networks was "simply based on groundless presumption" and was "unfair and unacceptable", the statement read.

Huawei, who has operated in the Scandinavian country for 20 years as well as over 30 years in more than 170 countries, had kept a "proven track record" of no major security incidences, according to the company.

“Huawei has never caused even the slightest shred of threat to Swedish cyber security and never will. Excluding Huawei will not make Swedish 5G networks any more secure. Rather, competition and innovation will be severely hindered," it read.

The spokesperson added it would "assess carefully" the impact of the PTS decision, adding it hoped the Swedish government would re-evaluate its decision "in the spirit of fair and open market" it has maintained.

Sweden Targets Huawei, ZTE Amid US Trade War Campaign Against China

The news comes after the PTS excluded the Chinese tech giant after consultations with the Swedish Armed Forces and security services. Swedish firm Ericsson and Finnish rival Nokia are expected to benefit from the government decision.

The measure will ban Huawei and ZTE kit from central functions with "concerned frequency bands" of 2.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz by no later than early January 2025, and replace functions dependent on foreign countries with Swedish resources.

Numerous countries, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Japan have banned Huawei and ZTE from building 5G networks amid pressure from Washington, with London ordering national telecoms to rip and replace kit from the Chinese firm from networks by 2027, costing billions to replace and up to £41bn in revenues, according to reports.

Berlin may also ban Huawei from its networks amid a new security bill set to pass into law by the end of the year, but Deutsche Telekom, the nation's largest telecom, has said that it would not exclude providers based on political grounds.

The Trump administration has designated Huawei and ZTE as national security risks and blacklisted the two firms on similar accusations without evidence, drawing countermeasures from Chinese officials and criticisms from company execs.