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NEW DELHI, JUNE 25 (IANS): Some coordinated action is in evidence from Singapore to Croatia as Chinese telecom company, Huawei loses out on 5G contracts following pressure from the US.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said: "The tide is turning toward trusted 5G vendors and away from Huawei." Bangkok Post reported on Thursday that Nokia and Ericsson have been chosen as Singapore's main 5G network providers, telecom operators said, leaving Huawei with only a minor role as the Chinese tech giant faces growing US pressure.
Huawei has been dogged by allegations of stealing American trade secrets and aiding China's espionage efforts, with Washington pushing countries to bar the company from involvement in their next-generation networks. Huawei has denied ties with the Chinese government.
The report said that Singtel, one of the city-state's main telecom operators, on Wednesday said it had chosen Sweden's Ericsson to build its 5G network after the government gave final approval.
A joint venture that includes the country's two other major telecom operators, M1 and StarHub, announced it had opted for Nokia to build its main 5G infrastructure.
Huawei only won the contract to be a provider for a smaller, local network system, operated by TPG Telecom, a more minor player.
The Southeast Asian city-state tries to maintain good relations with both the US and China, and Information Minister S. Iswaran insisted that no company had been excluded in the selection process.
"We have run a robust process spelling out our requirements in terms of performance, security and resilience," he said, adding that mobile network operators also had their own criteria, the report added.
In Croatia, too, the 5G contract has gone to Ericsson. US Chief of Mission in Croatia, Robert Kohorst said in a tweet: "Looks like the tide is turning here in Croatia too! Congratulations to @hrvatskitelekom for signing a 5G agreement with trusted vendor @ericsson Nikola Tesla." Ericsson's Croatian associated company Ericsson Nikola Tesla has been selected by Croatian communications service provider Hrvatski Telekom as its sole supplier of 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and services until 2024, Ericsson announced.
