According to the German newspaper Zeit Online on Monday, the German government intends to prohibit telecom operators from using specific components from Chinese firms ZTE and Huawei in their 5G networks.
According to Zeit Online, which cited government sources, the prohibition might apply to network components that are already installed, obliging operators to eliminate and replace them.
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Because of their close ties to China’s security services, critics of Huawei and ZTE claim that their inclusion in the future’s ubiquitous mobile networks could give Chinese agents and even infiltrators access to large areas of vital infrastructure.
These allegations are rejected by Huawei, ZTE, and the Chinese government, which asserts that they are driven by a nationalistic desire to aid non-Chinese competitors.
According to Zeit Online, Berlin’s cybersecurity office and interior ministry have been examining the potential security risks posed by components in the burgeoning 5G networks for months. Even though the poll was still ongoing, the outcome was already obvious, according to Zeit Online, which cited official sources.
According to Noah Barkin, managing editor of Rhodium Group’s China practice and expert on German-Chinese relations, this is a signal that the German government may eventually be considering China-related threats to national security seriously. He stated, “But after years of dithering, the German 5G network is deeply dependent on Chinese suppliers. It will take many years to unwind this.”
Germany approved an IT security law in 2021 that imposed strict requirements on companies that manufacture telecom equipment for next-generation network systems, but it refrained from outright banning Huawei and ZTE as some other nations have.
According to a report, Germany has actually grown even more reliant on Huawei for its 5G RAN than it was for its 4G network, despite the fact that carriers have refrained from using the company’s core network technology.
The German government was unable to respond to a recent parliamentary inquiry regarding the number of Huawei components that carriers were utilizing in their 5G networks last month.
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Swedish telecom regulator PTS gave telecom operators participating in 5G auctions until January 1, 2025, to remove equipment from China from their systems and essential functions after banning Chinese companies from deploying 5G in 2020.
In contrast, Britain now wants telecom companies to abandon Huawei-related hardware and services by December 31, 2023, as opposed to the initial deadline of January 28, 2023. By the end of 2027, all Huawei hardware must be removed from Britain’s 5G networks.
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