Germany planning to ban Huawei, ZTE from parts of 5G networks: Paper

Germany's government isplanningon forbidding telecoms operatorsfromusing certain componentsfromChinese companiesHuaweiandZTEin their5Gnetworks, GermanpaperZeit Online wrote on Monday.

Thebancould include components already built into thenetworks, requiring operators to remove and replace them, Zeit Online wrote, citing government sources.

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 ofHuaweiandZTEsay that their close links to China’s security services mean that embedding it in the ubiquitous mobilenetworksof the future could give Chinese spies and even saboteurs access to swathes of essential infrastructure.

Huawei,ZTEand 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 possibleban.

Germanypassed an IT security law in 2021 setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for next-generationnetworks, but stopping short ofbanningHuaweiandZTEas some other countries have done.

A new report shows thatGermanyhas actually become even more dependent onHuaweifor its5Gradio access network equipment (RAN) than in its 4G network, even though operators have avoided using the firm's technology for the corenetworks.

Zeit Online said the government's cybersecurity agency and interior ministry had for months been checking if there were components in the growing5Gnetworksthat could put German security at risk.

The survey had not officially been ended, but the result was already clear, thepapersaid, citing government sources. The government wouldbanoperatorsfromusing certain controlling elementsfromHuaweiandZTEin5Gnetworks.

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