Telus skips Huawei for 5G, selects Ericsson and Nokia
Telus has opted to go with Ericsson and Nokia — skipping Chinese tech giant Huawei — to build its 5G network.
The Vancouver-based company announced Tuesday it had signed a deal with Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia to provide the components for its 5G network.
No figures were given on how much the deal cost.
“Telus has a successful track record of building globally leading networks with amazing speeds, robust quality and extensive coverage that are consistently recognized as the best in the world,” Telus president Darren Entwistle said in a statement.
“Our team is committed to rolling out superior network technology from urban to rural communities, fuelling our economy and driving innovation as we power Canadians into the 5G era through an unparalleled network experience.”
Entwistle promised in his statement the 5G boost would support post-pandemic economic recovery, virtual health, remote work and other practices now common as a result of COVID-19.
The announcement came the same week the Montreal-based Bell Canada announced it had chosen Ericsson to build its wireless 5G network.
Telus was among the Canadian telecom companies that had been waiting for federal officials to decide whether it would ban Huawei from operating and inking deals in Canada because of concerns the Chinese company could pose a cybersecurity risk.
But, as of late May, the federal government had not yet made an official decision.
Telus has long had Huawei components in its infrastructure.
However, the company has maintained the parts are only used in accessing radio signals and not for the network itself and that the parts operate under strict conditions set forth by the Canadian government.
Canada’s top military officials have also been vocal about wanting to ban Huawei, citing concerns over Chinese laws that compel companies to co-operate and give up sensitive information.
Other countries in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance — including Australia, New Zealand and the United States — have banned Huawei from operating within its borders.
In the United Kingdom, the other member in the alliance, telecoms provider BT Group had previously said it would remove some of Huawei’s equipment from its networks.