The European Commission is reportedly planning to prohibit the usage of equipment from Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE in their own internal telecommunications networks. This decision comes ahead of the anticipated update to the European Union’s guidelines on 5G mobile networks within the bloc, which is expected to strongly encourage member states to phase out equipment from these high-risk companies. The European Commission’s review of the 5G “toolbox” is expected to state that publicly excluding Huawei and ZTE from national networks is justified and will explicitly call out the two companies as high-risk vendors by name for the first time. Although the majority of countries have yet to ban the two Chinese vendors from their networks, the move to block their equipment is similar to the Commission’s previous decision to ban staff from using TikTok due to security concerns over the social-media app’s data-collection practices.
The decision to prohibit Huawei and ZTE from the European Commission’s own internal telecommunications networks underscores the ongoing concerns around the security risks associated with Chinese technology. Amidst the deteriorating relationship between the US and China, many countries have barred Chinese equipment from their core telecommunications networks over fears of spying. The EU’s new guidelines have been highly anticipated as they are expected to encourage member states to take more restrictive measures against Chinese vendors in their own national networks as well.
Representatives for Huawei and ZTE have not yet commented on this decision from the European Commission. However, the ban on their equipment highlights the ongoing global tensions between the US and its allies and China. As these concerns around security risks continue to grow, it remains to be seen how other countries will respond and what impact this will have on Chinese technology companies.