Swedish court dismisses Huawei appeal over 5G network exclusion

[STOCKHOLM] A Swedish court on Friday dismissed an appeal by Huawei against its exclusion from the country's 5G network roll out, paving the way for the 5G spectrum auction slated for next week to proceed as planned.

The Chinese telecom giant had earlier this month appealed against a decision by the Administrative Court of Appeal that allowed Swedish telecoms regulator PTS to resume 5G spectrum auctions without removing an earlier ban on Huawei.

"A ruling by the Administrative Court of Appeal in a case relating to the law on electronic communication is final and therefore cannot be appealed," the Supreme Administrative Court said in a statement dated Jan 14.

"The appeal should thus be dismissed." Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

A Swedish court in December backed an appeal by PTS against a ruling to stop the auctions, but also said Huawei could pursue a legal challenge over its exclusion.

PTS said last month that it would resume 5G spectrum auctions on Jan 19, after a challenge from Huawei led to a court injunction that prevented them going ahead.

"We note that the court has made this decision. The auction will start as planned on Tuesday, Jan 19," a PTS spokesperson said.

REUTERS