Huawei and Deutsche Telekom held advanced talks over 5G network deal

Signal strength of Deutsche Telekom 5G is displayed on a mobile device at the IFA consumer tech fair in Berlin, Germany. - Reuters

BERLIN: Deutsche Telekom was in advanced talks to retain China's Huawei as its main supplier of radio equipment for new mobile networks before it put the negotiations on hold for political reasons, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The United States has urged its allies to freeze out the Chinese supplier over cybersecurity concerns. Washington has told allies that the company's equipment could be used by China as spying tools, an allegation denied by Huawei and Beijing.