Windstream completes removal of Huawei network gear

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – Windstream, a privately held communications and software company, today announced that it has completed the removal of all Huawei equipment from its network.

The Federal Communications Commission designated the Chinese manufacturer Huawei as a national security threat in June 2020. As a result, telecommunications carriers were obligated to remove Huawei equipment from their networks.

Windstream’s network included Huawei gear acquired as part of its 2017 purchase of EarthLink. The prohibited equipment represented a small fraction of the company’s routing and transportation capability.

As a federal contractor, Windstream implemented a multi-year engineering plan to remove this equipment in 2019, before the FCC made removal mandatory. By fall 2022, all Huawei equipment had been disconnected from Windstream’s network and was no longer operative.

The company removed the final inactive Huawei equipment from its network shelves in March 2023.

“As an industry leader in network intelligence and infrastructure expansion, Windstream was prepared to quickly and effectively remove the impacted equipment,” said Art Nichols, Windstream’s chief technology officer. “Our multi-pronged approach included using alternate routes, replacing equipment where necessary, and leveraging the company’s winning Fast and Flexible process.”