(Bloomberg) --
Huawei Technologies Co. will help develop Hungary’s fifth-generation mobile network, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban defied efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to quarantine the telecom giant on national security grounds.
Huawei will work with Vodafone Group Plc and Deutsche Telekom AG to build the ultrafast wireless infrastructure, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in Shanghai on Tuesday, according to MTI state news wire. He said Hungary rejects discriminating against companies based on nationality, adding that the sole criteria is that firms abide by local laws and regulations.
Whether to allow Huawei a role in developing 5G networks is a sensitive decision for governments around the world, and no European country has yet issued a blanket ban on the company. Officials must weigh potential security concerns against the risk of a backlash from Washington, the extra cost of excluding a key provider of the new kit and the importance of fostering trade with China.
Huawei has repeatedly denied criticism that it poses a security risk for countries where it operates. Last week, the head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service added his voice to the debate, saying that Huawei “can’t fully be trusted” because of its “high level of dependence” on the Chinese state.
Szijjarto didn’t specify the precise role Huawei would have in building Hungary’s 5G network. A spokesman for the telecommunications regulator wasn’t immediately able to provide further details.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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