Huawei Portugal filed a lawsuit contesting a decision made by the country’s security assessment commission, which local media reported effectively bars operators from using the vendor’s 5G equipment.

The appeal was lodged with the Administrative Court in Lisbon and concerns a decision published by the security body in May 2023, alongside related documents covering 5G equipment.

A Huawei representative told Mobile World Live it was seeking to protect “legitimate interests and legal rights under the law as a company duly established in Portugal” adding it expected to “remedy the multiple violations of Huawei Portugal’s rights”.

It added the resolution had a “significant detrimental impact to the company and its partners”.

While pointing out its contribution to the industry in the country, the representative said the vendor was confident the court would conduct “scrutiny based on the highest standards of the law and address the multiple legal concerns raised in our application.”

Portuguese business publication O Jornal Economico reported the approval of the security body’s assessment prevented the use of 5G equipment from companies based outside of countries which are not members of any of: the European Union, NATO, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The news website claimed the ban was widely considered to be a measure to block Chinese vendors.

Huawei’s woes in Portugal are the latest issue faced by the company and Chinese peer ZTE in their operations in various Western markets, following a prolonged campaign against the vendors spearheaded by US authorities on deemed security grounds.

The vendor has repeatedly denied the various claims made against it.