The German Ministry of the Interior wants to ban core equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from the country’s 5G network. Bloomberg news agency reports this based on an insider.
According to the source, various timeframes for the ban are being considered, including a start in 2026.
Many Western countries have already banned the use of Huawei telecom equipment. For example, the Chinese company has been dealing with trade restrictions imposed by the United States since 2019. The US government accuses Huawei and other Chinese tech companies of enabling espionage through backdoors in their technology. Huawei has always denied those accusations.
Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan and Sweden have banned or restricted the use of Huawei telecom equipment.
The German ministry is still investigating to what extent the country’s mobile networks depend on Huawei and ZTE equipment. A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior said that the investigation has not yet been completed, and discussions with other ministries involved in the decision continue.
Huawei said in response that the German investigation is “discriminatory” and not based on technical facts. The Chinese company warned that a ban will slow Germany’s digital transformation and lead to higher consumer costs.
Germany has been more hesitant to implement a ban on Chinese parts than some of its allies. For example, despite American pressure, the country allowed Huawei components when telecom companies such as Deutsche Telekom started building their 5G networks. However, the German government has since taken a tougher stance on China and sought to reduce its dependence on individual countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
