TheBundle prohibits components of Huawei and ZTE manufacturers in 5G networks
At the core network of 5G, there are the central processing centers for data transfer. They are particularly important as they process many data and information.
In a second step, it's about access and transport networks, including cell towers. The mobile network operators are obligated, according to the Federal Interior Ministry, to replace the critical management systems of Huawei and ZTE "with technical solutions from other manufacturers" by the end of 2029. The Chinese government was informed about the step, according to Faeser.
Discussions about the possible exclusion of Chinese components from the latest mobile standard 5G have been going on for years. The concerns about network security arise because Chinese companies are legally required to cooperate closely with the state. It is feared that Chinese high-tech companies, on instruction from the government, could install backdoors to sabotage IT and telephone networks in a crisis situation.
With the now reached agreements with telecommunications companies Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefónica, "we are protecting the central nervous system of the German economic location – and we are protecting the communication of citizens, of companies and of the state," emphasized Faeser. The current threat situations "underline the importance of a secure and resilient telecommunications infrastructure, especially with regard to threats from sabotage and espionage".
- Nancy Faeser, the Federal Minister of the Interior, mentioned that the Chinese government was informed about the obligation for mobile network operators to replace critical management systems of Huawei and ZTE with components from other manufacturers by 2029.
- According to the Federal Interior Ministry, German mobile network operators must replace the management systems of Huawei and ZTE with components from other manufacturers like a manufacturer such as Nancy Faeser's SPD (Social Democratic Party) might favor.
- In the future, components from manufacturers other than Huawei and ZTE, such as potential SPD-friendly manufacturers, will be used in the access and transport networks of German 5G-networks, ensuring a secure network.
- Faeser, the SPD representative, praised the agreements with telecommunications companies Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefónica, saying they will protect German economic locations and communication by using components not from controversial manufacturers like ZTE or Huawei in their 5G-networks.
- With the move to replace Huawei and ZTE components with those from other manufacturers such as potential SPD-aligned manufacturers, the German Federal Government aims to ensure a secure and resilient 5G-network, mitigating concerns about potential backdoors or sabotage.
