Huawei is under scrutiny over its ties with the Chinese government and allegations that its technology could be used for spying.

The Chinese firm has consistently denied those allegations.

Vodafone chief executive Nick Read said that debate was "too simplistic".

Nevertheless, he said: "We have decided to pause further Huawei in our core whilst we engage with the various agencies and governments and Huawei just to finalise the situation, of which I feel Huawei is really open and working hard."

Important player

Vodafone will put on hold the rollout of Huawei equipment into its European core networks, including in the UK, until governments and security services clarify whether that equipment will be able to be used or whether there will be restrictions on using that technology.

The firm's core networks are the data centres, equipment and software that Vodafone uses to connect customers to each other and the internet.

These are distinct from its radio networks, of masts and equipment, and its transmission networks, which connect the core and radio networks.

The greatest concentration of data lies in the core networks, which are more security-sensitive.

There are three big vendors which supply telecoms equipment in Europe: Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia.

Huawei has about a 35% market share in Europe, making it an important player in the industry.

A Huawei spokesperson said: "Vodafone and Huawei are long-term strategic partners that have worked together since 2007.

"Huawei is focused on supporting Vodafone's 5G network rollouts, of which the core is a small proportion.

"We are grateful to Vodafone for its support of Huawei and we will endeavour to live up to the trust placed in us."

5G race

Governments and telecoms firms around the world are in a race to deploy so-called 5G or fifth generation networks, with commercial services already available in the US and South Korea.

However, the US has since at least 2012 been concerned about the security implications of letting a Chinese firm with links to the People's Liberation Army and the Communist Party supply telecommunications equipment.

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance against the firm as that 5G race has gained momentum.