The German government is considering the exclusion of Huawei from the firms that will contribute to building 5G network infrastructure, Handelsblatt reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. Ministries and authorities are thinking about stricter security standards and amendments to the Telecommunications Law, the report added.
The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the Federal Network Agency are currently working on new security standards for the next mobile generation. There have already been meetings with German mobile service providers and manufacturers of mobile network technology.
The pressure to exclude Huawei came from the US. The US has talked with officials in Berlin to warn about Huawei, the report added, while acting on American telecommunication companies to avoid the use of Huawei technology. Huawei is suspected of sharing sensitive data with the Chinese state. The company is vehemently resisting the allegations.
Australia and New Zealand have already banned Huawei from supplying equipment for their 5G networks due to security concerns. The Norwegian government announced at the beginning of January that it was considering excluding the Chinese firm. Norway shares the concerns of the US and the UK, Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara told Reuters.
In Germany, Telefonica uses Huawei equipment in its core network. Vodafone said Huawei would be used, but not in the core network. Deutsche Telekom said it is reviewing its procurement strategy with suppliers in light of the debate over the safety of Chinese manufacturer Huawei. Telekom said it takes the global discussion "very seriously", in a response to Reuters. Orange has also ruled out using Huawei in its domestic market, Light reading reports. The German operator works with more than one provider, buying network equipment from Ericsson, Nokia, Cisco as well as Huawei.
