Telefónica SA will reduce the amount of equipment it buys from China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. for the development of its core 5G network in Europe, Reuters reported, citing Chief Technology and Information Officer Enrique Blanco.

The Spain-headquartered operator will instead tap various equipment vendors for its 5G network to ensure security of service.

In addition, use of Huawei equipment for Telefónica's core 4G networks in Spain and Germany is expected to be eliminated by 2024 under the new strategy.

The company's decision was "a purely technical decision," Blanco was quoted as saying in the Reuters report.

The recent development comes after Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG selected both Finnish company Nokia Corp. and Huawei for its 5G network build-out.