BERLIN: Germany has become even more dependent on Huawei for its 5G radio access network equipment (RAN) than in its 4G network despite growing worries about Chinese involvement in critical infrastructure, according to a new report.
Many European countries have banned Chinese companies from all or part of their 5G networks on security grounds, amid intense diplomatic pressure from the United States.
But Huawei accounts for 59% of Germany’s 5G RAN - the base stations and related infrastructure that connect smartphones to the network - compared to 57% in 4G networks, according to the survey by telecommunications consultancy Strand Consult.
The survey, to be released next week but seen by Reuters, provides an overview of the roles of China’s Huawei and ZTE in the roll-out of next-generation mobile networks across Europe, singling out the region’s largest economy for its continued reliance on its top trade partner.
“There are indications that Germany has not taken the security threat that China poses seriously,” the study says, drawing comparisons to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, long criticised by opponents as a security risk but which Berlin justified by saying Russia would not weaponise energy.
Huawei has repeatedly denied its equipment poses a security risk and accuses Washington of a protectionist desire to help US firms that cannot compete with its technology and pricing.
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