Reuters: France may not renew Huawei's 5G equipment license after it expires

Earlier, it was reported that French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said France would not ban Huawei from investing in France.

Bruno Le Maire told France Info radio that France did not have a "total ban" on Huawei, but that protection would be provided in sensitive locations. "We will not ban Huawei from investing in 5G, but we will protect national security interests," he added.

However, according to the latest report from Reuters, French authorities have informed telecom operators planning to purchase Huawei 5G equipment that they will not be able to renew their equipment licenses once they expire.

France's cybersecurity agency ANSSI has previously said it would allow operators to use equipment, including Huawei, under licenses for three to eight years. But it added that it urged telecoms companies not to currently use the Chinese company's equipment to avoid switching to it.

Sources said ANSSI had informed operators of licensing decisions in most large cities. They said most of the authorizations for Huawei equipment were for three or five years, while most of the equipment authorized for European rivals Ericsson or Nokia received eight-year licenses.

However, ANSSI's decision has not yet been made public by the agency or the company.

The source added that French authorities had informed operators in informal conversations in recent months but had not formally stated in documents that licenses for Huawei equipment would not be renewed thereafter.

ANSSI and Huawei declined to comment on the news.

A spokesman for the French prime minister's office in charge of 5G equipment licensing said ANSSI is working with operators within the legal framework and any authorizations granted now will not affect whether these licenses are renewed or interrupted in the future.

Given the short duration of the licenses, such restrictions would effectively mean that Huawei would be phased out of France's 5G networks by 2028, the sources said. 

Given that 5G technology takes at least eight years to get a return on investment, it is difficult for telecom operators to take the risk of investing in Huawei equipment. "Giving a three-year guarantee is tantamount to a rejection," the person added.

Of course, the timing of this news is very sensitive, so its authenticity remains to be verified.