It has been reported that three major mobile carriers in Finland, Telia, DNA, and Elisa, have decided to boycott Xiaomi and stop selling its phones in their stores. This comes from concerns about the Chinese company’s connection to Russia, which recently invaded Ukraine. However, a few carriers have stated that they will still support Xiaomi.
Earlier this year, the National Agency of Corruption Prevention in Ukraine declared Xiaomi an “international sponsor of war” due to its active support for the Russian market. According to a report by Suomimobiili, Ukraine claimed that Xiaomi’s business dealings in Russia aided the Russian army.
“Dissatisfaction with Xiaomi’s operation is now stronger than before, especially in the thoughts of operators’ representatives”, read the report. Of the three carriers, Telia said that it will only sell the Xiaomi devices already in stock and will not order any new ones. DNA said it has removed Xiaomi phones from its display shelves and will not renew its inventory once the stock sells out. Elisa said that it will narrow down its range of Xiaomi products and will monitor the situation closely.
Retailer Veikon Kone was the first to pause sales of Xiaomi phones in the summer. It later had to reverse its decision as the competition didn’t follow. However, Kone is not planning to sell any new models from the Chinese brand in Finland.
However, some Finnish retailers, such as Gigantti and Verkkokauppa, said they will continue to sell Xiaomi products until further notice, as the EU has not imposed any sanctions on the company. However, Xiaomi is said to have assured Verkkokauppa.com that it complies with EU legislation, as a result of which the carrier continues to sell the brand’s phones in Finland.
Xiaomi has not commented on the matter yet. The company faces increasing scrutiny and pressure from various countries over its alleged ties to the Chinese government and military.