Dispute over Huawei

Problems in the 5G network: Scholz plans top-level meeting

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Transport Minister Volker Wissing are due to meet soon for top-level talks on the 5G network.(Bild: AFP)

The German government is planning to reach an agreement soon on stricter security requirements for the 5G mobile network. A decision within the traffic light government has been postponed for months because the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Digital Affairs have been unable to reach an agreement.

In principle, it is a question of weighing up whether the telecoms companies should rather spend more money on the rapid expansion of the modern 5G network or replace components from existing networks that are considered potentially unsafe by security authorities. This mainly concerns components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. However, government circles expressly emphasize that no "Lex Huawei" is planned.

Limitation for Huawei and ZTE components
Back in September 2023, the Ministry of the Interior presented proposals for stricter regulations, some of which would ban the installation of Huawei and ZTE products. Nothing has changed in terms of content since then. According to information from Reuters, all but one of the mobile network providers have already removed components from these companies from the core network. However, the Ministry of the Interior also wants to limit the proportion of Huawei and ZTE components in the so-called access and transport network to an average of 25 percent.

Concerns about data leakage
In particularly sensitive regions, such as Berlin with the seat of government or the Rhine-Ruhr industrial region, the proportion should even be zero. The background to this is the concern about manipulation or a possible outflow of data through the networked structures. This also raises the question of how independent Chinese companies are from the country's communist leadership. Huawei has repeatedly denied the accusations. In the EU and the G7 countries, the handling of Chinese high-tech products is handled very differently. The US government has tightened its stance considerably.

Different positions
Like the telecoms companies, Digital Minister Wissing argues that greater network security can also be achieved through voluntary commitments on the part of companies, as the components have to be replaced every few years anyway. The ministry also argues that nationwide coverage with stable, fast and affordable mobile internet must be ensured. The Ministry of the Interior, on the other hand, had pointed out that the expansion should take place more quickly. The telecom companies had been offered sufficiently long transition periods.

On Monday, Chancellor Scholz, together with five Nordic heads of government, visited the headquarters of the Swedish company Ericsson in Stockholm, which, like the Finnish company Nokia, also manufactures 5G components. Scholz also emphasized the need for a rapid expansion of modern mobile networks.

Reducing dependencies
Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, said on Wednesday that he was not aware of any new position on the part of the federal government regarding the use of Chinese components. Deutsche Telekom is doing everything it can to reduce dependencies on individual suppliers. "We are one of the few network operators to develop the software for controlling the antennas ourselves. We are also currently examining the use of OpenRAN."

With this technology, hardware and software from different providers can be combined with each other. Until now, they have always come from a single source for a region. This technical innovation is also seen in government circles as an important step forward in reducing risks.