Under the agreement, components manufactured by Huawei, China’s leading 5G equipment maker, are to be banned from sensitive core network infrastructure by the end of 2026, rather than by the end of 2025 as previously envisaged, as reported by POLITICO.
When it comes to the radio access networks (RAN) such as antenna masts, Huawei components would have to be removed by the end of 2029 instead of the end of 2026. This is a satisfactory outcome for German operators, who were in the process of upgrading these networks anyway, thus limiting extra costs.
When asked about why the government decided on a longer timeline to phase out Chinese 5G equipment, Faeser said: “In the course of an agreement, compromises are also made, and I also consider them acceptable.”
Digital Minister Volker Wissing said in a statement the government had “taken the safety concerns seriously and at the same time have not lost sight of the economic realities. With the agreed transition periods, we are giving the network operators the necessary time for an orderly changeover.”
Security experts have expressed fears for years that technology from vendors Huawei and its smaller rival ZTE may be used by China for espionage or potentially even sabotage of Germany’s digital infrastructure in case of a conflict. China rejects those accusations and has been urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government not to cut out Huawei, turning it highly sensitive political issue between Berlin and Beijing.
The new deal on phasing out the Chinese vendor will ease worries in Brussels and Washington, where Germany has been seen as dragging its feet on cutting ties with Huawei, despite Berlin’s endorsement of the EU-level 5G Security Toolbox that set out measures to reduce dependencies across networks in 2020.
