Proximus remains fully confident in supplier Huawei, CEO Dominique Leroy said at the presentation of the Belgian operator's results, according to report from Datanews. Leroy said equipment security was not at risk from working with Huawei, and the company responds quicker than many other suppliers, especially those from the US, to questions about its network and obligations.
Huawei is the main supplier of Proximus' mobile network since 2009, and the companies have extended the partnership several times. Proximus said Huawei provides advanced equipment, often at cheaper prices than European competitors. Furthermore, the company has not received any information from the Belgian security services that suggests any threat.
If the Belgian government were to forbid the use of Huawei equipment, Proxmus would comply. However, rebuilding its network would result in considerable cost and slow innovation. Nevertheless, Proximus will make sure it does not become reliant on a single supplier.
Proximus has not yet chosen a vendor for 5G, although has connected massive MIMO tests with Huawei. It's also talking to Ericsson and Nokia. Leroy called again for the Belgian government to speed up the release of 5G spectrum, amid a growing demand from the business market for the services.
