Samsung works its way into European 5G race to fill Huawei gap

FILE PHOTO: A man walks past the logo of Samsung at its office building in Seoul, South Korea, October 25, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

MADRID/STOCKHOLM/PARIS (Reuters) - European mobile operators are starting to consider Samsung Electronics, long seen as a non-starter, in the race to replace China's Huawei as the supplier of their fledgling 5G systems, although early talks suggest it will still be an uphill struggle.

After Samsung unexpectedly landed a $6 billion deal with U.S. giant Verizon in September, Spain's Telefonica and France's Orange have both held talks with the South Korean firm, company executives say.