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The ban eases worry in Brussels and the US, where Germany was perceived as slow to act on ‘high risk’ Chinese equipment vendors
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has taken a decisive step in its 5G network rollout by banning critical components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE.
The move reflects growing global concerns about security risks associated with Chinese telecom equipment providers.
The ban aims to enhance the security and integrity of Germany’s communication infrastructure and will be implemented in two stages. By the end of 2026, German telcos must remove Chinese equipment, mainly supplied by Huawei and ZTE, from their core networks, including in their data centers. By the end of 2029, the wider network components from these manufacturers in 5G access and transport networks must be replaced.
“We are protecting the central nervous systems of Germany as a business location — and we are protecting the communication of citizens, companies and the state,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser last week.
“We must reduce security risks and, unlike in the past, avoid one-sided dependencies,” she continued.
China’s embassy in Berlin has hit back at the ban, saying “there is no evidence indicating that these Chinese companies are a danger to any country,” according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. “The so-called ‘network security risks’ are just an excuse by certain countries to maintain technological hegemony and suppress competitors,” continued the statement.
“Whether Germany can handle this issue fairly and justly will be a touchstone for its own business environment.”
For the past four years, Germany has famously refrained from implementing a full-scale ban on Chinese telecoms equipment suppliers, preferring instead to implement stricter security recommendations and leave the decision to the network operators themselves. By introducing a formal ban, Germany is finally following in the steps of many of its European peers in banning, who are also in the process of excising Huawei and ZTE from their networks.
The UK has banned Huawei in 2020, ruling that equipment must be entirely removed from the UK’s 5G networks by the end of 2027. Other countries also banning the equipment outright include Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
It should be noted, however, that many other European countries – including Spain, Portugal, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, and Finland have opted not to implement a similar ban and still rely significantly on Huawei equipment in their mobile networks.
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