Europe presses “off”: Huawei and ZTE are squeezed out of EU mobile networks

European Union intends to move from soft recommendations to strict measures and completely exclude equipment from Chinese companies Huawei And ZTE from mobile networks of countries EU.

European Commission is preparing a legal framework that will make it possible to officially ban the use of equipment from foreign manufacturers recognized high-risk.

Brussels emphasizes that the key concerns are related to threats sabotage And espionageas well as the possible influence of government agencies of third countries on suppliers of telecommunications equipment. It is these factors that formed the basis of plans to form a special list of companies whose products will be transferred outside of European communication networks.

Manufacturers included in the category “high risk”will not be able to supply equipment for EU mobile networks. Moreover, it is planned to gradually dismantle and replace the already installed equipment. It’s not just about networks 5G: in the future, similar checks and restrictions may be extended to energy systems, transport infrastructure and even hospitals.

Despite many years of discussions about security threats, Germany and a number of other EU countries equipment Huawei And ZTE is still widely used. Its presence in national networks has repeatedly caused controversy, primarily due to the possible dependence of companies on the authorities China.

In the most European Commission admit that many countries actually ignored previous recommendations to abandon Chinese suppliers. The new legal framework should eliminate this uncertainty and make the requirements binding on all Member States, turning the issue cybersecurity into an element of pan-European policy, rather than a voluntary choice.

Editorial comment

Solution European Union displace Huawei And ZTE from European networks is presented as an act of care about safety. Formally, everything looks perfect: risks, espionage, sabotage, protection of critical infrastructure. In practice, this is a story not so much about technology as about geopolitics and belated awareness of one’s own vulnerability.

Chinese equipment has suited everyone for years. It was cheap, fast And effective. European operators saved money, politicians turned a blind eye, and talk of “risks” existed somewhere in the notes to the reports. The problem arose not when networks became insecure, but when the world is no longer comfortable.

Now Brussels is making a U-turn and calling it “strategic autonomy.” But autonomy, paid for by more expensive contracts with Nokia, Ericsson and dependence on American software and chips – autonomy is very conditional. Essentially, Europe is changing one external supplier to anotherpreserving the dependence model itself.

It is especially significant that the burden of decisions is shifted downwards: dismantling of equipment, rising costs, delays in modernization – all this will fall on the operators, and ultimately on consumers. Without loud statements, but with very real scores.

The story with Huawei and ZTE is not about “evil” and “good” in telecommunications. This is a symptom of how the EU has long lived under the illusion that economic gain can exist separately from politics. The illusion is over. The cost of maintaining it is just beginning to come.

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