China curbs use of Nokia and Ericsson in telecoms networks, FT reports

(Reuters) -China is curbing the use of European telecom kit suppliers Nokia and Ericsson in its networks, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

 

Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia contracts are required to be submitted for "black box" national security reviews by the Cyberspace Administration of China, where the companies are not told how their gear is assessed, FT said.

 

State buyers of telecom equipment would require bidders to include detailed documentation on every component in their systems and the portion of local content, the report said.

 

Ericsson declined to comment on the report. Nokia did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours. The CAC could not be immediately reached.

 

(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)