France walks fine line with Huawei 5G contracts 

The head of the country’s cybersecurity agency said it will grant time-limited waivers on 5G for wireless operators that use Huawei products

The Huawei logo is displayed on a smartphone screen. 

France is seeking to assure China that it isn’t banning Chinese telecom equipment supplier Huawei from participating in its fifth-generation mobile roll-out, even after announcing new security regulations that may effectively do just that.

The head of the country’s cybersecurity agency said this month it will grant time-limited waivers on 5G for wireless operators that use Huawei products, a decision that will likely begin a “phasing out” of the company’s products. The pressure to reverse course comes from the US, which has warned that Huawei’s systems could be infiltrated by hackers or hostile states. The UK caved and now intends to stop using Huawei for 5G as soon as this year.