Sweden s stubborn hold on Huawei ban to hurt itself
瑞典固执地持有华为禁令是为了伤害自己
A Swedish court has reportedly dismissed an appeal by Huawei against the country’s 5G ban on the Chinese telecom giant, dimming the company’s hope in participating in the small-sized market’s 5G rollout in the future.
Ignoring domestic businesses’ opposition against the Huawei ban and the rising plea for free market and competition, the Swedish government’s unwise political manipulation under US influence will cause considerable damage to itself, Chinese experts noted.
In response to Huawei’s appeal on January 5, the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court on Thursday said in a statement that the appeal should be dismissed with no more convincing reasons, according to Reuters on Friday.
The latest dismissal from the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court came only a few days before the 5G spectrum auctions scheduled for January 19, allowing for Swedish telecoms regulator PTS to resume the auctions when the Chinese telecom equipment maker is excluded from the country’s 5G rollout, according to media reports.
Given there is only very limited time for Huawei to fight against the ruling, the situation for the Chinese company in the market is not optimistic as the court has actually stood on the same side as the PTS, which is under heavy influence of the Swedish Ministry of Defense, said Chinese experts, noting that the Swedish defense ministry has a long-term close relationship with the US.
Sweden’s decision on Huawei is heavily influenced by the US, and being involved in such a political game will not deliver any benefits for itself, Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Saturday.
Removing the leading 5G player’s gear from existing infrastructure and core functions in Sweden’s communication networks will only largely delay and lead to larger bills for its 5G rollout, Xiang added.
Earlier this month, Huawei rival – Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson, was reported as opposing the Swedish government’s ban on preventing Huawei and ZTE from participating in the construction of 5G in the country.
Borje Ekholm, head of Ericsson, said that Ericsson would leave Sweden if authorities supported the ban on Huawei and ZTE, local newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported.
Ericsson’s threat to leave Sweden over the Huawei ban shows Swedish businesses’ concern over its government’s arbitrary move to hurt market rules, putting them in a tight spot in the Chinese market, whose size is much bigger than Sweden’s and is vital for some companies, Xiang said.
