‘Lacks legal basis’: Huawei appeals Swedish 5G ban

Chinese telecom company Huawei has appealed Sweden’s decision
to ban it from the country’s 5G network owing to security concerns, a legal filing
obtained by AFP on Friday showed.

The ban, announced by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority
(PTS) on October 20, “lacks legal basis, violates fundamental human
rights, violates fundamental EU legal principles … and is incorrect in
substance,” Huawei wrote in its appeal to PTS and the Stockholm administrative court, as per AFP reports.

According to Huawei, if carried out, the ban would cause “exceptionally comprehensive
and irreparable damage” to its business.

PTS presses that its ban, which also affects Chinese
company ZTE, is in line with new legislation that took effect in January 2020,
following an examination by Sweden’s armed forces and security service “to
ensure that the use of radio equipment in these (5G network) bands do not
cause harm to Sweden’s security.”

Carriers using any existing Huawei and ZTE installations
must also remove them by January 2025, PTS said.

The United States alleges Chinese firms are used to spy for
Beijing — allegations which China denies — and has piled pressure on allies
to cut Huawei from its telecommunications infrastructure.

However, Huawei said in its appeal there was “no concrete
evidence of a cybersecurity threat” posed by the company, and insisted
that “the Chinese state cannot order Huawei to spy”.

China’s embassy in Stockholm has previously urged the
Swedish government to review its decision.