MADRID – The digital ministry has cancelled a multi-million-euro contract with telecoms giant Telefónica to expand Huawei equipment in the national academic and research network, El País reports.
According to the contract, its purpose was to supply, install and manage Huawei-made routing equipment operated by Telefónica, in order to expand RedIRIS-NOVA’s IP connectivity services. RedIRIS-NOVA is a 16,000-kilometre fibre backbone linking more than 500 universities and research centres across Spain.
The defence, justice and economy ministries, among other institutions, are also affiliated with the network.
RedIRIS’ technical and operational management is overseen by the public entity Red.es, which is affiliated with the digital ministry.
The €9.8 million tender was scrapped for “digital strategy and strategic autonomy considerations,” a ministry spokesperson told Euractiv.
“Undisclosed negotiations” kick-started in July and concluded on Monday. The public tender, however, remains uploaded to the public procurement website despite its cancellation.
The decisions add to the growing scrutiny of Huawei’s footprint in the Spanish state apparatus. In July, revelations surfaced over an alleged €12.3 million contract between 2021 and 2025 for Huawei to store sensitive judicial wiretap data for the interior ministry.
The reports prompted US and EU officials to warn of potential security risks and leaks, which the interior ministry denied to Euractiv.
The deals with Huawei have put the spotlight on the unusually close relations between Madrid and Beijing as the EU hardens its stance on China.
The controversy also comes at a politically fraught moment for the ruling Socialist Party and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who have struggled to keep afloat amid repeated corruption scandals.
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