Government won’t interfere in Huawei decision

Unless Danish intelligence services specifically say that Huawei is a threat to national security, the partnership between Føroya Tele and Huawei is likely to go ahead as planned.

So said trade minister Helgi Abrahamsen after Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod’s visit to the Faroes this week.

Faroese telecoms provider Føroya Tele’s planned collaboration with Huawei on the development of a 5G network in the Faroes was a key topic of the meeting between the two ministers.

US warns against collaboration

Earlier this month, US Ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands, urged the Faroes and Greenland not to partner up with the Chinese company, arguing that Chinese state authorities collect and misuse “shocking” amounts of data.

She said that Chinese law states that companies must adhere to all demands by the country’s communist party, and that in a 5G future, Huawei may be forced to disclose data about its customers.

 >> SEE ALSO: US warns Faroes against Huawei 

But this is not necessarily a matter of national and international security, says Abrahamsen.

“It can be difficult for outsiders to determine how much of this is related to the current trade war between the US and China, and how much of it is about national security,” he says.

“We receive guidance from Danish national IT security authority Cyber Security, and they have so far not advised against collaborating with Huawei. I regard this as more independent advice than what we are receiving from the US Ambassador to Denmark.”

Translated by prosa.fo