Vietnamese telecom giant excluded from frequency tender in Hungary

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As you already know, Viettel Group was excluded from the 900Mhz tender in Hungary. The reasons weren't specified in details, just generally (like missing elements in its application documents that can't be provided in time now).

On the other hand, I checked its site and it seems it isn't present anywhere at all in Europe or the USA. So I have the impression that it's simply not allowed (who wants to allow a provider that is 100% owned by the Ministry of Defense of Vietnam?). In this case, however, it's interesting that it was allowed it to start in the tender at all (at least, in Hungary, but Hungary must follow EU law).

I'm sure some members here are experienced in international law and current situation -- how is the case with the international presence of companies of these "problematic" countries? Are there different categories of "problematic" countries (e.g. North Korea probably isn't the same as Vietnam), or is each case individual?

Do you know about any country similar to Vietnam that has a subsidiary in your county? (in USA perhaps)?

 

I think the main problem is that EU has a common trade policy and is a unified trade bloc. Meaning that Hungary as an individual member has no right to exclude offers from countries that aren't under any EU trade sanctions. The fact that the Viettel Group is not present elsewhere is completely beside the point unless you can prove that they were actually similarly excluded elsewhere within the EU. Also plenty of such companies are state owned outside and within Europe so the ownership of the company has very little importance in the matter. If Vietnam was considered "problematic" by EU it would probably be under various sanctions. It's also a member of the WTO.

If you think the EU has a single reason to start bullying Hungary into accepting a contract all other members would refuse you're simply wrong and being paranoid. To me it seems that Hungarian officials deemed either a) Viettel Group to be untrustworthy (not a decision for them to make) or b) excluded them in preference of a domestic provider. I don't know which of these is true but if its the former then I'm sure they'll have no problem in proving that in court.

EDIT: Just for the record, this would not be the first case when a country is reprimanded for trying to prefer domestic contractors illegally. It's actually dreadfully common and waaaay too often they get away with it too.

 

Sorry, you misunderstood it a bit (due to my joke topic that was closed). EU didn't care of this exclusion at all (I don't write it anywhere in this post, this post has nothing to do with EU directly).

Instead, I meant that a company owned by the Defense of Ministry of Vietnam is not welcome in the Western part of the world IMO. How about national security issues?