Spark New Zealand said Wednesday that the Government Communications Security Bureau had told it that its plan to use Huawei equipment in the network--which Spark is due to complete by July 2020--would "raise significant national-security risks."

Huawei "is aware of Spark's statement and we are looking into the situation," a Huawei spokesman said. The world's largest maker of telecommunications equipment, Huawei is a major supplier of gear for next-generation 5G networks, which will offer higher speeds and help connect an expected boom in internet-connected devices.