Less than half EU countries ban Huawei for 5G security concerns: Report

A new report says that eleven EU countries have banned Huawei and its network equipment for 5G security concerns. The number is less than half of EU member states who decided to remove the Chinese machinery from their core network.

According to Euronews, a European Commission spokesperson stated that only eleven EU countries have restricted companies like Huawei and ZTE for 5G network security. Others are still planning how to execute the rip-and-replace program.

Even though most countries have adopted the rules to restrict Chinese 5G network providers, these efforts don’t seem enough. One of the EU officials said that the Commission is considering tightening the rules in case of a lack of obedience.

It looks like not many countries are interested in replacing the existing 5G network equipment with a new one. The two main factors behind this theory are Time and Expense. The EU Commission spokesperson further said that:

“One new country has joined the list since last February, and a few more countries are currently in the process of doing so.”

EU Countries:

Regardless of Commission concerns, various EU countries continue to collaborate with Huawei. Italy for instance, distanced itself from Huawei for its 5G network in 2020 but joined forces last month for food safety, EVs, and energy matters.

Less than half of EU countries ban Huawei for 5G security concerns: Report (Image Credits: Huawei)

Inputs reveal that Italian Prime Minister – Giorgi Meloni visited China in July to pen down a strategic partnership on EVs. A major reason behind this agreement was the provisional tariffs of 37.6% imposed on the China-made vehicles.

Germany, on the other hand, said to remove the network completely by 2029. After several months and a careful examination of China-made 5G network equipment, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said:

“We are protecting the central nervous system of Germany for businesses and the communications of citizens, companies, and the state.”

Slovenian is one of those countries that didn’t impose a ban directly on Huawei. If not completely, it’s still linked with Chinese network suppliers. Thus, the EU Commission and countries have to do a lot of work to make all the 27 member states follow the Rip and Replace program.

[Source]