- The removal of Huawei/ZTE networks in Europe was not a complete success
- Some countries even opposed the ban on Chinese equipment
- Western companies struggle to compete on price
The European Commission is looking to go further in its attempt to remove Huawei and ZTE telecommunications networks from its member states.
Vice-President Henna Virkkunen presented a proposal to make the 2020 recommendations of the 5G Cybersecurity Toolbox legally binding, and could extend beyond just mobile networks to also include fixed broadband and fiber optic networks in EU member countries.
This development comes as many countries have already adopted such changes: Sweden banned Huawei and ZTE from its 5G networks in 2020, the United Kingdom did the same, and Germany plans to withdraw from its 5G core networks by 2026.
Could the EU ban Huawei/ZTE from 5G networks and beyond?
The UK presented the withdrawal of Huawei’s technology as a supply chain necessity: “the security of the company’s products… can no longer be managed due to the impact of US sanctions on its supply chain.”
In October 2022, an immediate ban on new Huawei 5G installations was imposed, with removal of existing equipment mandatory by 2027.
“We must have confidence in the security of our phone and internet networks, which underpin so much of our economy and our daily lives,” commented former Digital Secretary Michelle Donelan.
Beyond existing bans, Italy is also reviewing deals with Chinese companies individually, while Spain and Italy still allow the company to operate within its networks. Slovenia went even further by rejecting a bill that would exclude high-risk sellers.
Traditional Western rivals such as Nokia and Ericsson have struggled to compete on price with Chinese companies because of the way they obtain partial financing through state support.
This state support is raising concerns among some policymakers about potential espionage threats and other risks associated with ongoing geopolitical and technological battles.
The EU’s 5G cybersecurity toolkit has been positioned as a framework of strategic and technical measures to strengthen network security in 2020, with recommendations including restrictions, installation bans and supplier diversification, but debate appears to have reopened on this topic following a sharp division of national approaches rather than unified European collaboration.
Via Bloomberg
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
