Ekholm Backs Huawei in Sweden

Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm criticised Sweden’s decision to ban Huawei from involvement in an upcoming 5G auction. In an interview with Financial Times, Ekholm said that the decision restricts free trade and would delay rollout of the technology.

Although Ericsson is expected to benefit greatly from Huawei’s woes by grabbing additional market share in countries which have restricted the Chinese vendor, Ekholm said it was important such regulatory decisions were reviewed. He said that Ericsson and Sweden were built on free trade and from his perspective it was important that they have open markets and free competition.

Ekholm said he understood telecoms networks are becoming an increasingly important issue when it came to national security. However, he believes the country had deviated from European Union 5G guidelines and banned the company using its own interpretation of the rules. Ekholm acknowledged Huawei was a major competitor, but added it was important to maintain collaboration on industry standards too.