Regarding Huawei, it’s trying to stir up controversy again.

Some media reports claimed that Telenor would exclude Huawei from its 5G construction. For instance, a Reuters article published on December 13, titled “Telenor Picks Ericsson for 5G, Phasing Out Huawei,” asserted that Telenor announced on Friday it had selected Sweden’s Ericsson as its primary technology equipment supplier for Norway’s 5G network and would gradually phase out Huawei equipment. Previously, Telenor had collaborated with Huawei on its 4G network for ten years. Screenshot of the Reuters report dated December 13 The report claimed that Telenor Norway’s CEO, Bjørn Furre, told Reuters that during a four- to five-year modernization and upgrade period, Norway would gradually decommission its existing Huawei network equipment. However, according to a press release posted on Telenor’s official website—reviewed by Global Times reporters—Telenor’s statement regarding Huawei equipment usage reads as follows: “The modernization process will take four to five years. Accordingly, Telenor will continue using its existing Huawei equipment to maintain its 4G network while upgrading selected areas to 5G. This ensures optimal user experience for Telenor customers and uninterrupted access to fast, reliable mobile networks throughout the modernization process.” Source: Telenor’s official website press release Norway’s Minister of Digital Affairs, Nikolai Astrup, stated in an interview with the Norwegian online newspaper E24 on December 13: “If operators select suppliers from countries or regions with which Norway does not have security cooperation, such suppliers’ equipment must not exceed half of Norway’s base stations.” Telenor explained that maintaining both Huawei and Ericsson as suppliers stems from the annual surge in user demand for data traffic, necessitating comprehensive network modernization. This modernization will proceed in parallel with 5G deployment and is expected to take approximately four to five years. Telenor is one of the leading telecommunications operators in the Nordic region and also operates in Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries, serving over 100 million users. The company has partnered with Huawei for more than a decade. In fact, a full-scale replacement of Huawei equipment by Telenor would be an extremely costly and labor-intensive undertaking. Norwegian current-affairs commentator Arild Vollan wrote in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that 5G networks can be viewed as an upgrade of 4G infrastructure. If Norway decided to abandon Huawei equipment entirely, all existing 4G base stations would need to be dismantled and rebuilt—a move that would impose enormous additional costs on Norway’s 5G rollout. Norway hosts 14,000 Huawei base stations; dismantling each old Huawei base station and installing a new Nokia or Ericsson unit costs 600,000 Norwegian kroner—approximately USD 70,500. According to Vollan, Telenor does not use Huawei equipment in its internal 4G network (inner network) in Norway. Its mobile network is dominated by U.S. technology; only its radio network employs Huawei equipment—and the U.S. has found no evidence of backdoors in Huawei devices. Since last year, the United States has pressured “allied” countries—including Norway—to exclude Huawei from their domestic 5G network construction. Telenor’s recent addition of Ericsson as a 5G supplier thus has its own underlying reasons.

Everyday Economic News at 24:00 | Telenor states Huawei will continue participating in 5G construction; World’s youngest female Prime Minister forms cabinet: 19 ministers, 12 women, 4 born after 1985

1. Telenor Confirms Huawei Will Continue Participating in 5G Construction According to Xinhua International, on December 13, Telenor announced it would continue deploying equipment supplied by China’s Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. in its 5G network construction. Earlier, some media reports claimed Telenor would exclude Huawei from its 5G projects. Telenor’s President and CEO, Sigve Brekke, stated that Telenor has no reason to delay its collaboration with Huawei: “We are very satisfied with our cooperation with Huawei.” Telenor is one of the leading telecom operators in the Nordic region and also operates in Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries, serving over 100 million users. The company has partnered with Huawei for more than a decade. 2. World’s Youngest Female Prime Minister Forms Cabinet: 19 Ministers, 12 Women, 4 Born After 1985 Three days ago, Finland’s Parliament voted to elect Antti Rinne’s successor, Sanna Marin—then Minister of Transport and Communications and a member of the Social Democratic Party—as Prime Minister. Marin became the world’s youngest female head of government. Shortly thereafter, she and her new cabinet were sworn into office. Of the 19 ministers in the newly approved government cabinet, 12 are women. All five coalition parties are led by women, four of whom are under age 35. Finland currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union; young female politicians like Marin are injecting fresh vitality into Europe’s traditionally staid political landscape, and women have long since become an indispensable force in European politics. 3. Zhou Bowen of JD.com: Integration of 5G and Artificial Intelligence Expected to Deliver New User Experiences According to China Securities Journal, Zhou Bowen, Vice President of JD.com and President of JD Cloud & AI, stated at the third EmTech China Global Emerging Technology Summit on December 14 that the deep integration of artificial intelligence and the real economy is driving the advent of the intelligent economy era—and 5G will accelerate this process.

Telenor, CIP Join Nordic Compass as Competitiveness Push Grows

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Telenor ASA and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners joined the Nordic Compass alliance to boost regional competitiveness. The group explores energy initiatives and considers adding a workstream on critical raw materials processing for European industry.

bloomberg

2026-10-20

Telenor, CIP Join Nordic Compass as Competitiveness Push Grows

Telenor, CIP Join Nordic Compass as Competitiveness Push Grows

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