Siro, the broadband firm co-owned by Vodafone and the ESB said it is sticking with controversial equipment provider Huawei, despite Vodafone pausing its deployment of the Chinese telecoms technology provider’s equipment.
In 2017 Siro signed a €25m deal with Huawei for equipment used in the roll-out of fiber-optic broadband to 50 Irish regional towns. Huawei faces increasing scrutiny over its ties with the Chinese government and has denied allegations that its technology could be used by Beijing for spying.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Siro said it had raised the issue of security with Huawei but that the partnership agreement remains in place.
“The quality and security of our service is of the upmost importance to Siro and we work closely with all of our suppliers to ensure the highest standard of security” the spokesman said.
“While we continue to monitor the situation, it is important to note that Siro operates an access-only network, not a core network which is the focus of recent media coverage.
“We have been in liaison with Huawei about their security standards and we remain in partnership with them,” he added.
Earlier, Vodafone, the world’s second-largest mobile operator, said it was “pausing” the deployment of Huawei equipment in its core networks until concerns about the firm’s activities are resolved.
Vodafone’s CEO Nick Read said that the debate about Huawei was playing out at a “too simplistic level”, adding that Huawei was an important player in an equipment market dominated by three companies.
“Given that, we have decided to pause further Huawei in our core whilst we engage with the various agencies and governments and Huawei just to finalise the situation, of which I feel Huawei is really open and working hard,” he said.
Additional reporting Reuters
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