This week, a mobile communication network failure in France has led to concerns about the reliability of Nokia's products, a Finnish telecommunications giant. Meanwhile, the European Union is continuing to promote the gradual elimination of equipment supplied by Chinese suppliers, citing so-called safety concerns.
French telecom operator Orange France's CEO, Gerome Enick, told the French newspaper Le Figaro that the fault first appeared in the company's network at 11:37 am on Monday, and it did not resolve until 8:30 pm, causing communication services to be interrupted for some users for up to 9 hours.
Ehnick stated that the root cause of the malfunction was a software flaw in Nokia's code. He added that Orange had never encountered such a flaw before, and it was "extremely difficult to detect."
According to Enek, this vulnerability affected not only Orange's mobile core network but also the devices that provide redundant backups for the core network, making this failure particularly unique.
E Nick stated that although 4G and 5G services were disrupted, the 3G network continued to operate normally, allowing users to continue making calls, thereby avoiding a complete interruption of communication services.
Currently, the exact number of affected users has not been confirmed. However, CFE-CGC Orange, the largest union organization in Orange, estimates that about 70% of the group’s 22 million mobile communication lines are affected.
This labor union issued a statement on Tuesday, stating: "This incident particularly sparked concerns about network resilience, backup plan diversity, fault detection, and crisis communication."
French media outlet L’Informe reported on Wednesday that Orange is seeking compensation from Nokia in the millions of euros. The most likely approach would be for Nokia to offer discounts when providing equipment or services in the future.
Orange Group stated in a statement provided to The South China Morning Post on Thursday that the contractual relationships between the group and its suppliers, as well as any discussions that may take place, are confidential matters.
Based in Helsinki, analyst Tomi Sarinings of the research firm Inderes said that although the reported compensation demands are financially manageable for Nokia—the company’s annual net sales in 2025 are estimated at about 20 billion euros (22.4 billion US dollars)—the negative impact this incident has on its reputation is more concerning.
Sarinin said: “This vulnerability occurred in the mobile core network, which is the most critical part of the entire network. It also caused the backup system to fail simultaneously. Operators will raise even more pointed questions to Nokia regarding the software quality and network resilience.”
European major telecommunications industry associations, such as Connect Europe, have repeatedly warned about the potential risks associated with proposed revisions to the EU’s Cybersecurity Act. Orange is also one of the member associations.
This revised law, known as CSA2, requires telecom operators to remove equipment from “high-risk” suppliers from the EU telecommunications network. In reality, it mainly targets Chinese companies.
The association stated in a report released in July this year that CSA2 will reduce the range of device suppliers available, thereby potentially weakening European telecom operators’ ability to ensure network resilience and security. It also noted that CSA2 could ‘extend or exacerbate systemic risks associated with excessive reliance, especially in cases of network failures. These risks could harm users’ interests and hinder efforts by suppliers to diversify their sources of supply.’
Nevertheless, Sarianin believes that this network failure is unlikely to change the market dynamics of European telecom equipment suppliers. For operators who wish to replace Chinese equipment, there are still only two viable options: Nokia or the Swedish company Ericsson.
He said: “It is more likely that regulatory agencies or operators will put forward stricter requirements for network resilience, such as ensuring that backup systems do not fail for the same reasons as the main system.”
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it hopes the European side to view China-EU economic and trade relations in a comprehensive, objective, and positive manner. It expects the European side to abide by WTO rules and market principles, and to stop taking actions that harm others at the expense of itself. If the European side persists in discriminatory treatment of Chinese enterprises, China will take resolute measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.
