MasOrange is reportedly reviewing its mobile network strategy and relationships with suppliers including China’s Huawei and ZTE, as well as Sweden’s Ericsson.
According to Expansion, Spain’s largest telecom company planned to reduce its reliance on Chinese suppliers, with the first phase running until the end of 2027.
As a result, this would remove ZTE equipment and reduce Huawei’s share of the network, while increasing Ericsson’s role.
Huawei’s share was expected to fall from 54% to around 37% of MasOrange’s radio network, while Ericsson’s share would rise from 42% to 63%.
Meanwhile, ZTE, which accounted for around 4% of the network and supplied equipment in the three Basque capitals, Zaragoza, Logroño and Pamplona, was due to be completely removed.
The first phase is not yet complete. Ericsson currently accounts for 57% of the network, while Huawei has 43%.
The move comes as concerns that Chinese equipment suppliers could face restrictions in Europe, with those concerns increasing following proposed European cybersecurity legislation.
However, comes as new research revealed The European Union’s plan to remove telecom equipment from suppliers “high-risk” including Huawei, could cost significantly more than the bloc’s original estimate.
The second phase could have seen Ericsson replace all remaining Huawei equipment, making it Masorange’s sole network supplier, provided it met the required quality targets.
Although the plan remains uncertain, Masorange has told Ericsson there is no guarantee that the second phase will go ahead, with the operator reportedly believing Ericsson has not met the agreed targets, the report claimed.
Therefore, the next step will depend on supplier bids in a tender planned for October. The tender will also focus on expanding Masorange’s use of mid-band spectrum, particularly 3.5GHz.
A MasOrange spokesperson told Expansion, that the operator “has not made any decision regarding changing its supplier strategy and there is no rush to make a decision about a possible change or continuation of the current strategy.”
An Ericsson spokesperon added that it “remains committed to MasOrange and continues to execute the contract according to the established plan and with the highest quality standards.
“The collaboration between the two companies continues to progress successfully, as reflected in several jointly announced milestones , in areas such as the evolution towards autonomous networks, the deployment of 5G Advanced capabilities, and the modernisation of the Core network.”
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