According to informed sources, Germany has reached a preliminary agreement to gradually remove key components from Chinese tech companies from the 5G network by 2026.
Two informed sources revealed to Reuters on Wednesday, July 10, that the German government and mobile operators have agreed in principle to phase out components produced by Huawei in the next five years, removing them from Germany’s 5G wireless network.
Reports state that the agreement, previously jointly reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung, as well as NDR and WDR broadcasting companies, provides more time for network operators like Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefonica Deutschland (O2) to replace key components.
Sources say that the preliminary agreement plan, driven by security concerns, will gradually eliminate technologies manufactured by Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE from the core networks of Germany’s 5G data centers by 2026.
However, the final agreement has not yet been signed, and sources added that the preliminary agreement plan includes a second phase to phase out all antennas, transmission lines, and tower components manufactured by Chinese companies by 2029.
According to Reuters, in May, sources mentioned that Spokes, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, and Transport Minister Volker Wissing plan to hold talks to establish stricter security requirements for 5G mobile networks.
Reuters cited a report from the German Interior Ministry on Wednesday regarding this news, stating that the government is in discussions with mobile operators.
The Chinese Embassy in Germany did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments.
Germany is considered to be lagging behind in implementing EU security measures for 5G networks.
During the Trump administration, the United States initiated the “Clean Network” program, urging Western allies to remove “untrustworthy” Chinese telecom operators, applications, and cloud services from network platforms and equipment. However, German telecom operators once resisted Berlin’s costly Huawei removal plan.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Germany has been steadily reducing its reliance on Chinese products after realizing the risks of overdependence on Chinese supply chains.
According to official German statistics, in the first quarter of this year, the United States has surpassed China to become Germany’s most important trading partner.