Seimas leaves Huawei behind the 5G fence: how do Lithuanian carriers react? | Deal

Following the adoption of amendments to the Law on Electronic Communications and Protection of Important Objects to Ensure National Security on the Seimas on Tuesday, unreliable manufacturers and suppliers were banned from participating in the electronic communications market. Furthermore, from now on, radio frequencies will be assigned to 5G communications only after assessing whether the equipment used for these communication networks is of interest to national security.

Although not explicitly stated in the law, the changes were primarily aimed at Huawei, one of the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturers in the world. Discussions about the safety of this Chinese producer and its ties to the Chinese government are being repeated throughout the democratic world.

Sigismund Gedvila / 15-minute photo / Vilnius Independence Square

Earlier, Lithuanian military intelligence had identified China’s involvement in the development of the 5G network as a risk factor due to the laws of communist China, which oblige companies to share information with the government.

15 minutes he wondered how this decision would affect the Lithuanian mobile operator and whether Lithuania could have made a different decision overall.

In Lithuania, two operators use Huawei equipment

Almost all operators use Huawei equipment in their networks. Telia Lietuva is the most dependent on this manufacturer, which has developed its own radio access network (RAN) using Huawei equipment. radio access network). True, the company’s chief technology officer, Andrius Šemeškevičius 15 minutes confirmed that core networks center) Telia Lietuva has never used equipment from Huawei or any other Chinese manufacturer.