The Italian government has reportedly given the go-ahead for Vodafone Italy to use 5G radio access network equipment from Chinese vendor Huawei. A report from Reuters cites two unnamed sources as saying that the state approval comes with conditions under which Vodafone must impose strict security controls and limit Huawei’s ability for remote intervention for technical support.
There have been concerns that Huawei’s equipment could pose a national security risk due to its links with the Chinese government, but the vendor denies this. It was reported in April this year that Telecom Italia (TIM) had decided against using 5G equipment from Huawei, while in October 2020 Reuters wrote that Fastweb had been blocked by the government from using 5G gear from the Chinese company.