5G issues should not be politicized

The official website of the European Competitive Telecommunications Association recently issued a statement condemning any ban on Chinese 5G suppliers for geopolitical reasons and warned that such a move would have many negative effects. Luc Andricks, Director General of the European Competitive Telecommunications Association, emphasized in an interview with our reporter that excluding specific suppliers would harm the interests of consumers and the industry and undermine the internal cohesion of the market. "Telecommunications industry regulation needs to be based on facts. Restricting competition will distort the entire telecommunications industry chain, supply chain, and value chain. Geopolitics should not affect the deployment of 5G networks.

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"The European Competitive Telecommunications Association, whose members include more than 100 leading telecom operators and digital solution providers in Europe, has actively called for the establishment of a fair competition environment on many occasions. Andricks believes that if suppliers are not treated fairly, in the long run, this will increase the cost of the European telecommunications industry, delay the deployment of 5G networks, and limit the potential for innovation. "5G is a very basic and critical facility in future economic and business development. The delay in 5G deployment will affect the EU's goal of achieving digital transformation."

Andricks pointed out that there are only a handful of telecom equipment suppliers in the world. If specific suppliers are restricted, it will reduce the choices of telecom companies, affect their business operations, and reduce their business efficiency and competitiveness. From the perspective of consumers, this move will increase network usage costs and affect service experience.

Andricks said that over the past few decades, the global telecommunications market has been evolving, and the competitiveness of Chinese companies is obvious to all. "Our members unanimously believe that Chinese companies have reliable technology and guaranteed equipment quality. The participation of Chinese companies in the world's 5G network layout will help promote the development of related industries."

Currently, the EU uses the so-called 5G security "toolbox" guidance document to assess the risks of telecom equipment suppliers. Andricks stressed that the 5G security "toolbox" must be appropriate, feasible, fact-based, and provide a fair competition environment, especially at the implementation level, and cannot target specific companies. "The 5G issue should not be politicized to affect the development and fair competition in the telecommunications field. "Security" cannot be used as an excuse to achieve political goals and restrict specific technology and equipment suppliers. Telecom operators should be given the right to make their own choices."