Sec Locke Says Sprint’s Chief Was Called About Huawei Bid Concerns

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke called Sprint Nextel Chief Executive Officer Dan Hesse to express “deep concerns” that a Chinese company might win a contract to upgrade the mobile-phone carrier’s network.

Sprint this week awarded work to companies from Sweden, France and South Korea for the project worth as much as $5 billion to build a faster network. Huawei Technologies Co., China’s largest telecommunications equipment maker, was among the bidders. “We wanted to learn more of their transaction and sit down with our intelligence folks and really understand what was possibly being contemplated,” Sec Locke said. “I did make a phone call to Mr. Hesse to relay some very deep concerns from the defense sector and also even members of Congress.”