Germany is contemplating banning some components from Huawei and ZTE, two of China’s largest telecom companies. Germany is heavily reliant on these companies and wary of singling out Huawei.
Why it matters: Only two other nations have banned Huawei and ZTE, Great Britain and Sweden, but several other European nations are devising plans for the future. As 5G roles out, and legislation is stricter Germany has its work cut out before it can find an alternative to the Chinese telecom providers.
- There are concerns that these companies pose a national security risk for Germany, but it could take years to resolve this as they are dependent on these companies.
- Critics feel that close links to Beijing’s security services mean that embedding them in the ubiquitous mobile networks of the future could give Chinese spies access to essential infrastructure.
- New legislation could allow German officials to ban certain suppliers if they are directly or indirectly controlled by foreign governments.
