Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read confirmed that the operator would remove Huawei technology from its 'core' network across Europe at a cost of EUR 200 million, reports the Financial Times.
Speaking as the group reported quarterly results, Read said that the decision was made following new guidance about using Huawei technology from the UK government and EU. Read said the process to strip Huawei from the core network would take five years, and that the UK operation was largely compliant with the new UK rules with only a small amount of equipment needing to be changed.
Read warned that a Europe-wide move to impose a 35 percent limit on Huawei equipment in a telecoms network could delay 5G network launches by 2-5 years, and result in higher prices for consumers. He said any cap on Huawei in Europe would be 'highly disruptive' and that it was the best way to deal with the potential risk of using the Chinese company's technology.
