The United States has asked its European allies not to buy equipment from Huawei or other Chinese manufacturers for new mobile networks such as 5G. That’s what Reuters says. The US sees the European Union as the most important in a global effort to prevent the use of the equipment in networks.
An official from the US Department of State states that, following discussions with the European Commission and the Belgian authorities, US officials are taking the warning to other European capitals. That warning states that Huawei is a major security risk. “We say you have to be very careful and encourage people not to conclude contracts too quickly with unfamiliar suppliers in countries such as China,” said the official.
The U.S. has been worried for some time about Chinese manufacturers like Huawei. It is feared that China will be able to use the companies’ equipment for espionage. Huawei has always denied this. Huawei equipment is widely used in Europe. However, the US warning focuses on the use of the equipment in a 5G network, linking everything from vehicles to plants at much higher speeds.
In the US, the Chinese manufacturer’s equipment is no longer allowed to be used by the government. However, the country sees European preparations for 5G networks as a security risk that could also cause problems for the US. “Working with an unfamiliar supplier such as Huawei or ZTE will have many consequences for your national security. As we are military allies with almost all the members of the European Union, it also affects our national security”, says the official.
EU measures
As early as January, it became clear that the EU is considering excluding Chinese companies from the roll-out of the 5G network. This amounts to a ban on Huawei components in 5G networks. The European Commission would now consider making proposals to make this ban possible.
Last month, Vodafone announced that it would temporarily stop purchasing hardware from Huawei. This is due to the concerns surrounding the company.
This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.