ISLAMABAD, JULY13: Concerning national security, Germany announced on Thursday that it will gradually stop using parts from Chinese telecom behemoths Huawei and ZTE in its 5G networks. This was Berlin’s most recent attempt to lessen its economic dependence on Beijing, which some believe has made it vulnerable. This came after the EU issued warnings about the corporations’ potential risks to the bloc. By no later than the end of 2026, components manufactured by ZTE and Huawei will no longer be utilized in “core” 5G mobile networks, according to the Berlin interior ministry.
By the end of 2029, telecom companies’ systems need to be changed in order to make way for 5G access and transmission infrastructure.Interior Minister Nancy Faeser declared, “We are protecting Germany’s central nervous systems as a business location and we are protecting the communication of citizens, companies, and the state.” “We need to minimize security threats and steer clear of one-sided dependencies, unlike in the past.”
According to the government, 5G networks are essential to the operation of several industries, including health, transportation, and energy, and constitute a part of Germany’s “critical infrastructure.”Cyberattacks must be prevented on telecom networks since they pose a “existential threat,” the statement continued.
A prohibition on Huawei and ZTE has been agreed upon by officials and Germany’s 5G network carriers, Telefonica, Vodafone, and Deutsche Telekom. Berlin was reportedly considering taking this action as early as September of last year, according to government sources. However, the dates that were revealed were later than anticipated to provide businesses time to implement the new regulations.
Faeser stated Beijing was aware of the bans, but she did not comment on whether she worried China would take punitive action. “As the interior minister, I have found regulations for critical infrastructure, including telecommunications networks, and that is what I have to do,” she said during a press conference.
Huawei maintained that there was “no specific evidence” that the company’s “technology has cyber security risks” in reaction to the ban. According to a spokesman, Huawei has grown into a consistently inventive, safe, and dependable provider of telecom equipment in the German market. According to Beijing’s embassy in Berlin, “groundless accusations” were the impetus behind the decision.
The embassy told state news outlet Xinhua that “there is no evidence indicating that these Chinese companies are a danger to any country.”It continued, “Germany’s ability to resolve this issue in a fair and just manner will serve as a benchmark for its own business environment.”
