Nokia In Talks To Sell 5G Gear To Telcos As Decision On Huawei Looms

Finland’s Nokia Corp. is in talks to provide 5G network gear to major Canadian wireless carriers shopping for equipment as the federal government mulls whether to ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. from the marketplace.

Canada’s largest wireless operator Rogers Communications Inc. has already partnered with Sweden’s Ericsson for its 5G networks, but its largest rivals BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. have yet to announce vendors, in part due to uncertainty around whether the Ottawa will follow the United States and block Huawei over spying concerns.

That leaves a big market for providers such as Nokia — especially if Huawei isn’t allowed to participate.

“All of them are talking to us about their interest in 5G and wanting to understand what we do,” Nokia Canada president Ric Herald said at a roundtable discussion on 5G with Nokia executives and reporters in Toronto on Thursday.―Financial Post