German government officials announced on Thursday (July 11) that Germany has reached an agreement with telecom operators to gradually phase out key 5G components from Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE in two stages. By the end of 2029, Germany is expected to completely eliminate all Chinese 5G technology nationwide in order to protect German national security from threats posed by the Chinese regime.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stressed in a statement released by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland on Thursday that “the current threat environment underscores the importance of secure and resilient telecommunications infrastructure, especially considering the risks of sabotage and espionage.”
After carefully assessing the risks brought by Huawei and ZTE’s key components in Germany’s 5G mobile network, the German government has introduced this national security agreement.
Faeser stated, “We have now reached a clear and stringent agreement with telecom companies.” She praised this agreement as a significant safeguard for digital security in the largest economy in Europe.
The agreement requires mobile network operators to stop using all key components produced by Huawei and ZTE in their 5G core networks by the end of 2026; in the second phase, operators must replace Huawei and ZTE’s 5G network management systems’ key functions in access and transmission networks with solutions from other manufacturers by the end of 2029.
Faeser noted that this applies to all 5G networks in Germany, not just a few key locations.
According to Reuters, Faeser stated that Berlin has informed Beijing of the agreement and she expects the Chinese authorities not to take retaliatory action due to Germany’s plans to restrict Chinese technology.
During the Trump administration, the United States promoted the “Clean Network” initiative, urging Western allies to remove “untrustworthy” Chinese telecom operators, applications, and cloud services from network platforms and devices.
However, at that time, German telecom operators had resisted Berlin’s costly Huawei elimination plan.
In recent years, as Chinese espionage activities have become increasingly rampant around the world, posing greater threats to national security.
In a report released in mid-May by the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany for the year 2023, it was revealed that “cyber attacks are increasing in both number and severity.”
The report stated that 80% of German companies have been affected by cyber attacks such as data theft, espionage, or sabotage, with over 800 companies and institutions targeted by cyber attacks from overseas. Cyber attacks from China have increased by 50% compared to two years ago.
At the end of June, Faeser and Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution director Thomas Haldenwang jointly released the latest annual report for 2023. Faeser pointed out that Germany is facing a hybrid threat of cyber attacks and espionage, with the main sources being Russia, China, and Iran, with Chinese cyber attacks reaching a new high.