The Federal Ministry of the Interior is reportedly preparing for stricter restrictions concerning Chinese networking technology utilized in German mobile networks. A ministry spokesperson told the “Handelsblatt” (Wednesday edition) that the current “security policy turning point” necessitates a comprehensive and forward-looking reevaluation of dependencies and risks across critical infrastructure. If necessary, the government is prepared to utilize legal means to ban specific components.
This initiative is underpinned by a new security catalog being developed by the federal network agency (Bundesnetzagentur). The agency aims to classify all functions of 5G base stations as critical in the future. According to a draft catalog reported by the newspaper, these functions are seen as central security and control elements. The agency has cautioned that attacks, such as those involving influence from third countries, could lead to disruptions on a large scale.
These plans could potentially result in extensive bans on companies like Huawei and ZTE. The Chinese conglomerate, Huawei, has reacted critically to the plans, stating in response to the “Handelsblatt” that the functions of the base stations should not be included in the list of critical functions in a blanket manner.
Despite the pressure, German network operators-including Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica, and Vodafone-continue to employ Huawei technology. Any mandatory replacement could cost billions of euros.
Furthermore, the network operators themselves are rejecting the proposed intensification. The federal network agency’s assessment of the submitted positions confirms that all operators deem the inclusion of “gNodeB” functions within the list of critical functions to be disproportionate. Deutsche Telekom, for instance, warned that the “quality of service would be jeopardized.” The company also stated that the existing agreement with the federal government from 2024 remains valid. This agreement already mandates the removal of Chinese technology from 5G core networks by the end of 2026 and from central control systems by the end of 2029, though base stations have largely been excluded from these previous provisions.
