Removing Huawei from 5G network could be difficult: Deutsche Telekom

Deutsche Telekom – a German telecommunications provider recently said that stripping off Huawei and Chinese equipment from the 5G network could be difficult. The entire procedure is time-consuming and may affect many German operators.

Germany has started removing China-made network equipment from its 5G market. The government has commanded all telecom operators to fully rip off Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese kits from their network by 2029, completing half of it by 2026.

Among various German operators, Deutsche Telekom also accepted this order and began working to comply with the UK rules. But the process isn’t as easy as it looks.

The CEO of Deutsche Telekom – Tim Höttges said that pulling out Huawei 5G network equipment needs time, changes, and high skills. He said that after the country will need better and independent software to meet network requirements.

“It requires a lot of changes and a lot of new skills within our company to fulfill this agreement with the government. We have to develop sovereign software to steer and configure all antennas. All the software required to run the access nodes has to come from the operators. We aren’t using it from third parties anymore.” – said Tim Höttges.

Tim said that the company has already freed most of its core network from Chinese equipment. Yet a complete elimination requires more time, till 2029. Meeting the deadline is far more challenging as it requires advanced skills for better replacement.

Huawei 5G network equipment (Image Credits: Huawei)

Deutsche Telekom’s CEO put forth these points while announcing the firm’s performance in the first half of this year. He further said that the new agreement with the German government is mainly to secure the nation’s privacy. Yet, it will have a massive impact on how DT runs its network infrastructure in the market.

Even though German operators are working as per the “Rip and Replace” program, they know the consequences well. Apart from pulling off Chinese kits from the 5G network, DT is making efficient software for the antenna network.

Tim further stated that Deutsche Telekom is adapting to O-RAN tech as it could be a savior. It would like to have 3000+ phone sites by 2026. The company is also joining hands with new suppliers like Nokia, Samsung, and more for better help.

Höttges said that the overall price of the new software might range up to a triple million number. The price is another matter of concern that the firm has to look after while removing Huawei, ZTE, and other China-made 5G equipment from its core network.

Removing Huawei from 5G network could be difficult: Deutsche Telekom (Image Credits: Deutsche Telekom)

[Source – LightReading]