Telecom operator Meo has filed a lawsuit against the Portuguese state, demanding €81.7 million in damages after Huawei equipment was barred from the country's 5G networks. The suit, filed at the Administrative Court of the Lisbon District, targets the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the State Legal Centre.
The company claims it suffered “special and abnormal damage” due to an administrative decision by the Security Assessment Commission in 2023, which declared equipment from non-EU, non-NATO, non-OECD suppliers a “high risk” for national security. While no specific companies were named, Huawei was the clear target.
Huawei technology was heavily integrated into Meo's 5G network infrastructure. Huawei itself filed a separate administrative action in September 2023, still pending. Other Portuguese operators, including Vodafone and NOS, have also criticized the ban as more aggressive than similar measures in other European countries.