Germany’s interior ministry has announced that it no longer wants to associate with Chinese component supplier Huawei. Competitor ZTE is also being unfriended. As Reuters reports, while government officials stress the importance of stepping away from the Chinese vendors, some German telecoms decry the move as detrimental to their business concerns.
“It is incomprehensible that [Interior Minister Nancy] Faeser allows Huawei components to still be used in our mobile networks,” said politician, Reinhard Brandl, speaking on behalf of digital policy advocates who favor a conservative approach to online security. A recent survey conducted by Strand Consult indicates that Huawei technology currently supports 59 percent of Germany’s 5G RAN networks. Three years ago, Germany declared that it intended to restrict business relationships with “high risk” vendors like Huawei and ZTE, but Germany’s developing 5G network is still heavily reliant upon them.
An unnamed official stated that there is a goal set forth to reduce the share of Chinese components in German RAN and transport networks to a maximum of 25 percent by October 1, 2026. The interior ministry has said that it intends to move forward with the removal of Chinese technology but expects to encounter some resistance as 5G development has become so intertwined with the Huawei vendor, according to Reuters.
The relatively short timeline sparked an angry response from Huawei Germany. A statement from that organization reads, “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. As a result, German consumers will have to pay the additional costs.”
Deutsche Telekom called the 2026 target date “unrealistic” and punitive to consumers while Telefonica Deutschland grumbled about seeking damages from the government and pursuing legal action if the deadline is enacted.
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