China’s Huawei and ZTE Kicked Out of Germany’s 5G Plan – Here’s What You Need to Know

According to reports by German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Wednesday, the German government has decided to remove all parts from Chinese companies in the 5G network by 2029.

In collaboration with major mobile network operators, the German government, including Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica Germany, and Vodafone, has tentatively agreed to phase out components from Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE. This removal will target the most sensitive parts of the mobile network—the core network—by the end of 2026 and extend to the network management system, which is the software managing communication between devices in the wireless access network, by the end of 2029.

Both sides plan to reach a final agreement after discussing some issues over the next few days, and it has been reported that fines may be imposed on mobile network operators if they fail to comply.

A spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry confirmed to the WSJ that a decision has been made regarding measures to protect critical parts of Germany’s 5G wireless network. About 60% of the network’s components are Chinese.

Under pressure from the United States, Germany promised to reduce its dependence on Chinese technology and raw materials last year and diversify its trade dependence on China. Subsequently, German security agencies warned that Chinese spy activities were becoming increasingly aggressive, and the WSJ reported that prosecutors had detained several people suspected of being Chinese spies this year.

However, the reported plan represents a step back from the original policy, which aimed to remove all Chinese components from all 5G networks by 2026.

The implementation of the original plan has been hampered by stagnation in growth and friction within Olaf Scholz’s cabinet, which is composed of three parties: the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

Since the Trump administration, the United States has banned government agencies and mobile network operators from using Chinese telecommunications equipment. It alleges that Chinese companies have planted “backdoors” in 5G devices to infiltrate networks and extract data at the government’s behest. The United States has requested this from allies and European countries, including the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and South Korea.