According to a report from Bloomberg, Germany is looking to cover the costs incurred by operators removing Huawei equipment from their networks. This move would be expeditious but could result in scrutiny over the use of public funds.
The news agency stated one estimate puts the total cost of removing Huawei’s equipment at more than €2 billion and reported operators are perceived to have resisted stripping the infrastructure, which the state is concerned poses a national security risk.
It reported Deutsche Telekom referred it to an agreement operators struck with the government in 2024 covering arrangements on how to handle Chinese telecoms equipment.
Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone Germany and Telefonica Deutschland agreed to begin excluding Huawei and ZTE equipment from 5G networks in late 2026.
Bloomberg noted any public money used could contribute to closing a gap in German digital investment relative to other European countries.
The method of any approach is not settled. One scenario would involve using defence or infrastructure budgets to fund the replacement, but discussions are ongoing and subject to change.
Bloomberg reported the government denied knowledge of any such plan.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Huawei
