GERMAN GOVERNMENT POISED TO BAN HUAWEI AND ZTE PARTS FROM ITS 5G NETWORKS

Tue 07 March 2023:

Germany’s government is planning to ban telecoms operators from using certain components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in their 5G networks, German paper Zeit Online wrote on Monday.

According to Zeit Online, which mentioned government sources, the restriction might apply to network components that are already installed, forcing operators to remove and replace them.

The government, which is currently in the midst of a broader re-evaluation of its relationship with top trade partner China, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Critics of Huawei and ZTE claim that because of their close ties to China’s security forces, integrating them into future ubiquitous mobile networks might grant Chinese spies and even saboteurs access to large swaths of vital infrastructure.

Huawei, ZTE and the Chinese government reject these claims, saying that they are motivated by a protectionist desire to support non-Chinese rivals. They did not immediately reply to a request for comment on a possible ban.

Germany passed an IT security law in 2021 setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for next-generation networks, but stopping short of banning Huawei and ZTE as some other countries have done.

According to a recent study, Germany has actually grown even more reliant on Huawei for its 5G radio access network equipment (RAN) than it was for its 4G network, despite the fact that operators have refrained from utilizing the company’s core network technology.

Zeit Online said the government’s cybersecurity agency and interior ministry had for months been checking if there were components in the growing 5G networks that could put German security at risk.

The survey had not yet been formally concluded, but the outcome was obviously apparent, the newspaper reported, citing official sources. The use of a few Huawei and ZTE control components in 5G networks would be prohibited by the government.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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