Survey: Germany more dependent on Huawei 5G equipment than before

Germany is even more reliant on Huawei for its 5G radio access network equipment (RAN) than it is for its 4G networks, according to a new survey report, despite growing concerns about the Chinese vendor's involvement in critical infrastructure.

According to the Global Times, the survey report comes from Strand Consult, a telecommunications consulting firm headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. The survey involves 102 mobile network operators in 31 European countries and aims to understand the share of Chinese and non-Chinese suppliers in their 5G networks. It is one of a series of reports on "Cybersecurity and China."

The survey results show that in 8 of the 31 countries, more than 50% of 5G wireless access network equipment comes from Chinese manufacturers. Among them, in one country, 100% of 5G wireless access network equipment comes from Chinese manufacturers. Overall, 41% of mobile users in Europe have access to 5G equipment from Chinese suppliers. In 2020, 51% of European mobile users accessed 4G equipment from Chinese manufacturers.

The report particularly points out the continued dependence of Germany, Europe's largest economy, on China. The report shows that in 2022, Huawei's share of Germany's 5G wireless access network equipment will reach 59%, while in 2020, Huawei's share of this equipment in 4G networks was 57%. Even Huawei's market share in Germany is higher than its share in China, because it also faces competition from manufacturers such as ZTE in China.

However, some telecom operators no longer use equipment from Chinese suppliers. Many Nordic and Eastern European countries, especially Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia, use almost no 5G equipment from Chinese suppliers.

Huawei has repeatedly denied that its equipment poses a security risk and accused Washington of wanting to protect American companies that cannot compete with Chinese technology and prices.