"There will not be a total banishment of Huawei," Poupard said in an interview with the French Les Echos newspaper.
However, although Huawei will not be completely eradicated from the French market, operators that use it will receive operating permissions ranging in validity from three to eight years, he added.
However, Poupard pointed out that operating limitations only concern China's Huawei, while Nokia and Ericsson will remain unaffected.
The restrictions come amid the ongoing tensions between the US and China. Washington has been upholding various sanctions against the Huawei company for national security reasons. Moreover, the US also calls on its allies to expel Huawei, referring to its proximity to the Chinese government. The telecom manufacturer has denied all accusations.
Huawei is one of the world leaders in the field of 5G communication networks but its activities have been affected by US sanctions. In particular, the UK authorities on Monday said the sanctions, which were imposed due to allegations that include corporate espionage, among others, could impact the reliability of the company's equipment. Culture and Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said London might reconsider allowing the Chinese tech giant to participate in the development of the country’s 5G telecommunications network. Media have reported that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was set to begin phasing out Huawei from the country’s 5G telecommunications network by the end of this year.
Huawei remains among the three telecom manufacturers that are authorized to supply the equipment for the future 5G mobile telecommunications system in France. The two others are the European Nokia and Ericsson.
