German operator says 5G will be delayed by two years... if Huawei is banned

The German telecommunications powerhouse conducted a comprehensive internal assessment which clearly indicated that a potential ban of the under-fire equipment vendor would have extremely negative consequences for the 5G aspirations of Europe’s telecoms industry.

Huawei is not only the leading equipment supplier in Europe, but it is also the leading vendor globally in terms of 5G.

Europe’s largest telecommunications operator Deutsche Telekom has warned that if governments across the continent decide to implement a ban on Chinese vendor Huawei, then the rollout of 5G networks could be delayed by at least two years.

The German telecommunications powerhouse conducted a comprehensive internal assessment which clearly indicated that a potential ban of the under-fire equipment vendor would have extremely negative consequences for the 5G aspirations of Europe’s telecoms industry.

Huawei is not only the leading equipment supplier in Europe, but it is also the leading vendor globally in terms of 5G. The Chinese vendor is set to sign a number of lucrative contracts as part of its efforts to help operators build and develop their 5G infrastructure.

A number of ICT experts have determined that 5G networks must be built on top of its existing 4G infrastructure, which will be supplied by Huawei.

However, a blanket ban on Huawei would mean operators would have to remove all of their existing equipment which would ultimately result in both huge delays and significant costs that could run into the billions.

European governments are seriously considering imposing a ban on Huawei participating on the rollout of 5G networks due to security concerns that have been raised over the company’s practices.

The United States, Australia and New Zealand have already banned Huawei, and are actively lobbying for their European allies to follow suit.

The announcement of Deutsche Telekom’s internal assessment comes on the back of France’s European Affairs Minister, Nathalie Loiseau calling for Europe to unite as one on Huawei.

Speaking at a debate in Warsaw, Reuters reported Loiseau said each state cannot act alone and should take a collective stance toward the vendor.

Along with Germany, France and Norway have also said they are considering a ban on Huawei. In the UK, Vodafone Group said last week it was pausing installation of new Huawei core network equipment across its European operations, whilst BT previously said it would remove kit made by the vendor in mobile operator EE’s core network within two years.

The Chinese vendor is set to sign a number of lucrative contracts as part of its efforts to help operators build and develop their 5G infrastructure.

A number of ICT experts have determined that 5G networks must be built on top of its existing 4G infrastructure, which will be supplied by Huawei.

However, a blanket ban on Huawei would mean operators would have to remove all of their existing equipment which would ultimately result in both huge delays and significant costs that could run into the billions.

European governments are seriously considering imposing a ban on Huawei participating on the rollout of 5G networks due to security concerns that have been raised over the company’s practices.

The United States, Australia and New Zealand have already banned Huawei, and are actively lobbying for their European allies to follow suit.

The announcement of Deutsche Telekom’s internal assessment comes on the back of France’s European Affairs Minister, Nathalie Loiseau calling for Europe to unite as one on Huawei.

Speaking at a debate in Warsaw, Reuters reported Loiseau said each state cannot act alone and should take a collective stance toward the vendor.

Along with Germany, France and Norway have also said they are considering a ban on Huawei. In the UK, Vodafone Group said last week it was pausing installation of new Huawei core network equipment across its European operations, whilst BT previously said it would remove kit made by the vendor in mobile operator EE’s core network within two years.