A new report based off of collected data shows that only a few EU members are enforcing the Huawei 5G ban. This ban not only affects Huawei but also other Chinese tech giants like ZTE, and it went into effect back in 2019. Ever since then, the EU and its member states have put laws in place to restrict the use of Huawei 5G equipment in their regions.
From the data that serves as a foundation for this report, only 10 EU member states have banned Huawei and ZTE 5G equipment usage. If you aren’t aware, there are a total of 27 member states in the EU and less than half are fully complying with a collective decision. Despite failing to meet this collective decision to ban Huawei and ZTE 5G network equipment, all member states have put certain restrictive measures in place.
The reason behind this ban is allegations that firms like Huawei and ZTE are security risks to countries that use their equipment. These allegations came at a time when the world was evolving into the use of the 5G network. At this time, the likes of Huawei and ZTE were at the peak of their game, rolling out 5G equipment for usage in various industries worldwide.
According to the allegations, Huawei and ZTE are working closely with the Chinese government, hence posing a security risk. After the ban took effect, it has been very hard for most EU members to expel Huawei and ZTE from the 5G network, since they put their equipment to use extensively. Most EU member states are now moving to give telecom providers in their regions a timeframe to allow for the removal of Huawei and ZTE 5G equipment that they currently rely on.
As proven by the data at hand, these time frames are now as effective as they should be. Sourcing replacements for Huawei and ZTE 5G equipment currently in use is also a big issue. Over the coming months, we might see some more progress among the EU members when it comes to removing Huawei and ZTE 5G equipment.