He Chinese tech giant Huawei You may soon be hit with another restriction: using European networks. The European Union is considering banning member states from using companies deemed to be a security risk on their 5G networks.
Huawei in the EU’s crosshairs
Following a veto in the United States, which deemed it “a criminal company that looted American companies, violated sanctions against North Korea and made false statements to the FBI”, Huawei could be banned in the EU. According to the Financial Times, it is Growing concern in Brussels Regarding the risk posed by the fact that some companies use 5G infrastructure.
So far, only a third of EU member states have banned Huawei from critical parts of 5G networks. Brussels’ recommendations, agreed unanimously by member states in 2020, are to exclude these companies which are “considered”high risk provider To invest in technology. It is difficult that before 2024, new rules will come to implement prohibition.
No changes are expected before the current European Commission’s five-year mandate expires in 2024. you will need to get support of the European Parliament and the Council, i.e. of the member states for any new law. Many European countries are re-evaluating their reliance on China for critical telecommunications infrastructure. Portugal is preparing to ban some Huawei 5G equipment as part of a policy change. The country is one of the largest recipients of Chinese investment per capita in Europe. Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the EU and the UK have already banned Huawei equipment from their 5G infrastructure.
Their networks and smartphones are slated for 5G mobile telephony closed in major markets Due to security fears, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, among others. Huawei denies allegations that use of its equipment poses a risk of espionage by China. But the company, once the world’s biggest smartphone maker, has seen sales slump after the United States banned access to key components and barred it from using Google’s Android operating system for smartphones.
Huawei’s presence in Spain’s 5G
Spain is one of the countries that has not yet adopted an official position on the matter. Our country signed a 5G cyber security law in March 2022 that will allow to restrict the presence of these risk providers. critical areas of the 5G network, such as the core, For now, these sanctions are dormant pending a coordinated European move to avoid Chinese retaliation.
in spain, is Many operators will be affected straight. The highest would be Vodafone, with 70% of its antennas in our country in the radio spectrum network supplied by Huawei. Orange will have a somewhat less pronounced impact, but it will still be worrying, with nearly 50% of its mobile space being targeted by the Chinese brand.
Both the Red and Orange operators do not have Huawei at least at the core of their networks, with the providers being Nokia and Ericsson respectively. This is an absolutely crucial point for Movistar, who do not use Huawei in their radio equipment (Ericsson and Nokia), but use Huawei in part of the 5G core, although they already have plans to replace the Chinese manufacturer in the medium term. plan to change.
