No ban on Huawei 5G systems in France, but European firms Nokia, Ericsson will get preference

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron says France is not excluding Chinese telecom giant Huawei from its upcoming 5G telecommunication networks but favours European providers for security reasons.

The French leader spoke after meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Paris on Friday.

Macron said he had already told Chinese President Xi Jinping about his preference for companies such as Ericsson and Nokia, saying “you would do the same as me.”

“It’s normal that … we want a European solution” because of the importance of “the security of our communication,” Macron told reporters.

France’s information security agency ANSSI said last month that Huawei Technologies Ltd. will not be banned from France, but French telecoms operators that buy its technology will only be able to get licences limited to eight years.