Ripping and replacing Huawei and ZTE equipment from Germany’s operator networks would be an arduous process, according to the country’s economy ministry.
Letter to the House of Representatives of the Congressional Economic Committee. Reuterswarns that if a country removes Chinese telecom technology from its network, “there will likely be a material impact on mobile network operations and fulfillment of coverage requirements.”
Germany is one of several European countries where telecom operators have widely deployed Chinese telecommunications equipment, especially systems provided by Huawei.Earlier this month, the Chinese Embassy Estimate Huawei equipment accounts for nearly 60% of Germany’s network equipment.
Germany is struggling to comply with the United States, which requires US telecommunications and network service providers to remove Huawei or ZTE equipment from their networks, going back to 2020. increase. The country is reviewing the technology stack used in its domestic networks.
The ministry fell short of quantifying the total economic cost of such a decision, according to the report. may become.
As we have seen in the US, a total replacement program could end up costing billions of dollars. FCC report As of early 2022, US carriers had applied for $5.6 billion in refunds to remove Chinese-made network equipment from their networks.
Huawei is one of the largest suppliers of 5G networking and communication equipment.The company has made big strides over the past decade, thanks in part to Low price compared to competing equipment vendors. However, some warn that the company’s close ties to the Chinese government pose significant security risks, especially in the United States.
The main concern is that Chinese intelligence agencies may force Huawei to deploy. back door Infiltrate their equipment and allow them to spy on foreign countries. Huawei has repeatedly denied this, and the Chinese embassy recently characterized the allegation as an attempt to smear Huawei with hoaxed accusations. “
But as more countries include The pressure to do something could ultimately push Germany back as Britain seeks to keep Chinese vendors out of its network. ®
