By Dominic Chopping

STOCKHOLM--The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency on Tuesday banned the use of Huawei and ZTE telecom equipment in critical 5G network infrastructure after consulting with the country's armed forces and security police.

PTS, as it is known, is the government agency responsible for monitoring the electronic communications and postal sectors in Sweden and it has been evaluating the security of networks and services for over a year, ahead of the roll-out of fifth-generation networks in the country.

In a statement Tuesday, PTS said it had approved four companies to participate in coming 5G spectrum auctions and placed a set of conditions on the equipment that they must use for central functions.

These central functions include the radio access, transmission and core network as well as the service networks that are necessary to maintain network functionality and electronic communication services.

It said that Huawei and ZTE products mustn't be used in new installations of central functions, and any existing products from the two companies used for central functions must be phased out by Jan. 1, 2025 at the latest.

In addition, PTS said central functions that are dependant on staff or functions in foreign countries must be phased out and replaced by functions or staff placed in Sweden by Jan. 1, 2025.

Write to Dominic Chopping at dominic.chopping@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

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