In October 2020, Sweden banned the use of telecommunications equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in 5G networks before holding the first frequency auction for the 5G mobile communications standard. In response, Huawei threatened to sue Sweden over the issue, according to the SVT Nyheter public broadcaster.
Stockholm justified the ban by citing national security interests.
The lawsuit was registered with the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes on January 21. The amount of the claim is 5.2 billion Swedish kronas ($560 million), however, according to the broadcaster, the figure could rise up to 30 billion kronas.