It lags many European countries and others including the US in banning Chinese vendors’ equipment in critical infrastructure, especially 5G
Two of Germany’s mobile network operator have reacted fiercely to government proposals forcing them to phase out the use of Chinese equipment vendors’ kit in their infrastructure.
On Wednesday, Germany’s interior ministry proposed forcing telecoms operators to curb their use of equipment made by China’s Huawei and ZTE. Reuters said the interior ministry wants to impose the changes to 5G networks after a review highlighted Germany’s reliance on the two Chinese suppliers.
It wants to start by phasing out parts made by Huawei and ZTE in Germany’s “access and transport network”.
Huawei not happy
In a statement, Huawei called the government’s proposed action “politicisation” of cyber security in the country” adding, “Such an approach will have a negative impact on the digital transformation in Germany, inhibit innovation and significantly increase construction and operating costs for network operators”.
The Chinese embassy in Berlin said China will not stand by idly if the German government goes ahead with the proposal. “Should Germany unjustifiably exclude Chinese companies, this would not only be a violation of the principle of fair competition but would also harm Chinese companies and Germany itself,” it stated.
This is not the first time China has threatened countries and and companies headquartered in them for deciding to exclude and/or remove Chinese equipment from national infrastructure.
Germany’s interior ministry is taking a phased approach to limit disruption, but is intent on making operators remove all critical components supplied by Chinese vendors in 5G core networks by 2026.
They are also to reduce the share of Chinese components in their RAN and transport networks by 1 October 2026, to a maximum of 25%, said an anonymous spokesperson for the ministry.
Backlash from operators
Deutsche Telekom responding saying the deadline is unrealistic and comparing it to the UK’s attempts to impose restrictions on Huawei, where the deadline had to be extended. Vodafone UK in particular relies extensively of Huawei kit in the RAN and said replacing equipment has slowed its 5G deployment significantly.
In June, the European Commission criticised Germany for not doing enough to reduce its reliance on Huawei. Deutsche Telekom immediately pushed back via a blog defending its positon, which was not met by universal acclaim.
Telefonica Deutschland said it would consider seeking damages from the German government if it is forced to retro engineer its network. The operator told Reuters it was in regular contact with German authorities and stressed the need for a consistent approach to plan security for networks.
The row continues.