Huawei is one of the world’s largest telecommunications equipment suppliers and a leader in 5G technology. Several countries are banning the provider from expanding the network for fear of Chinese espionage. In Germany, the company could be classified as an “untrustworthy” manufacturer.
The federal government reserves the right to impose legal restrictions on cooperation with the Chinese company Huawei when building the 5G network in Germany. As the “Handelsblatt” reported with reference to information from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Berlin could ban network operators from using “critical components” from Chinese manufacturers.
The use of components that have already been installed could also be prohibited “if further use is likely to affect public order or security in the Federal Republic of Germany, especially if the manufacturer of the critical component is not trustworthy,” the newspaper quoted the ministry as saying.
Huawei is one of the world’s largest telecommunications equipment suppliers and a leader in 5G technology. However, several countries, including the US and UK, have banned the provider from rolling out their 5G networks over concerns that Huawei tech could be a gateway for Chinese espionage or sabotage. The German network operators still want to rely on the company.
Politicians from the traffic light parties take a critical view of this. “It would be unworldly and naive not to recognize the geopolitical importance of Huawei’s activities in Germany for China’s influence,” said Deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Konstantin Kuhle to the “Handelsblatt”. The deputy parliamentary group leader of the Greens, Konstantin von Notz, referred to the current gas crisis: It must now be clear to everyone “that if possible, one should not hand oneself over to dictatorships with an imperialist attitude, so as not to become vulnerable to blackmail.”
Should Huawei be excluded from the 5G network in Germany, it could be expensive for mobile network operators Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica Germany. The Chinese network components would have to be replaced by components from other suppliers, but the components are not automatically compatible. That could significantly delay the 5G rollout.
