The German ‘security catalogue’ is set to be published this week and will confirm Germany’s decision to keep the door open for all next-generation network suppliers. This includes Huawei, despite America’s advice to ban the supplier.
The decision came after German operators warned that a Huawei ban could potentially bring years of delays and cost billions to roll out 5G across the country.
No exclusion
A German senior government official stated that: “Germany’s approach did not and does not foresee any clause that would exclude any one company."
This clearly keeps the door open for Huawei to provide 5G equipment in Germany,which is a huge win for the company after receiving bans over the last year.
Washington’s calls to ban Huawei are based on the idea that its kit may be open to cyber threats. This has been denied multiple times by Huawei, as it calls the US to provide proof to back up its claims.
A surprising decision
Germany’s decision is somewhat surprising considering that in a recent security assessment, the EU marked Huawei as a security threat. And although the report didn’t outwardly state it, the inference was clear.
Whilst the rest of the EU seems to be following America’s decision, Germany is sticking to its guns and offering a level-paying field.
The German rulebook will now expect all 5G suppliers to be certified as trustworthy before supplying any equipment. And certification of critical equipment will have to be obtained from Germany’s cybersecurity authority. And this gives Huawei the opportunity to be fairly judged alongside all other suppliers.
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