New Zealand government agency rejects Spark's plan to use Huawei 5G equipment

(Reuters) - Spark New Zealand said on Wednesday the Government Communications Security Bureau declined the telco's proposal to use 5G equipment of China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL], citing significant risks to national security.

The bureau's decision means that Spark cannot implement or give effect to its proposal to use Huawei equipment in its planned 5G network, the company said in a statement.

However, Spark said it remains confident the decision will

not affect its plans to launch 5G network by July 1, 2020.

(Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)