China hits back at Germany’s Huawei ban

According to news agency Xinhua, The Chinese Embassy in Germany said the decision to phase out Chinese equipment manufacturers from German networks was based on ‘groundless accusations’, and is ‘just an excuse by certain countries to maintain technological hegemony and suppress competitors.’

"Whether Germany can handle this issue fairly and justly will be a touchstone for its own business environment," said the statement. It also stated that the decision would severely damage mutual trust and affect future China-EU cooperation, and that ‘China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese companies’, according to the report.

According to broadcasters NDR and WDR, and German national newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung German authorities and mobile operators came to a deal that will see telcos remove Huawei from their core networks by 2026, followed by transport and access networks by the end of 2029.

However Reuters quoted Germany's interior ministry as saying that talks between the government and operators are ongoing, indicating the ban might not be official yet.

On top of this, sources in the reports claim there is talk of a potential compromise that would allow telcos to continue to use Huawei RAN hardware provided they adopt third-party RAN management software. 

A Huawei Germany spokesperson told Telecoms.com today: “Over the past 20 years, Huawei has developed into a continuously innovative, secure, and reliable telecom equipment supplier in the German market. There is no specific evidence or scenario that Huawei's technology has cyber security risks.

“We will continue to cooperate with customers and partners in a constructive and open manner, promote the improvement and progress of cyber security, and promote the construction of mobile networks and digitalization in Germany. We are assessing the relevant implications of the agreement in detail and reserve the right to comment.”