June 16, 2023

The European Union’s industry head, Thierry Breton, has urged more EU member states to join the ten nations that have previously blocked or banned Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE from their 5G networks.

According to Breton, the use of Huawei and ZTE equipment in 5G networks poses a huge security risk to the EU since these businesses might be used by China to spy on the bloc or harm essential infrastructure.

Despite realizing the security issues, the EU has been slow to set its own criteria for using Huawei and ZTE technology in 5G networks, leaving the Union vulnerable to reliance and vulnerabilities. As a result, the European Commission has proclaimed its intention to exclude Huawei and ZTE from its own telecoms service procurement. Breton has called on all EU institutions to follow suit and act decisively.

Huawei and ZTE have repeatedly denied any misconduct and have asserted that their equipment is both safe and secure. However, the US government has already banned the use of Huawei equipment in its networks, while various other nations, including Australia and Japan, have imposed restrictions on its usage.

The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.