The European Union (EU) has begun efforts to force member states to remove communications equipment from Huawei and ZTE, according to a Bloomberg report. European Commission (EC) vice-president Henna Virkkunen was quoted as saying that member states will be required to follow 5G security guidelines issued six years ago.
Among the guidelines given is not to use telecommunications equipment from high-risk vendors, with Huawei and ZTE falling into this category. In addition to removing the two companies' mobile telecommunications equipment, the EC will also ask that their equipment be removed from fixed-line communication systems such as fiber optic cables.
In the EU, Sweden has banned the use of Chinese equipment since 2020 while Germany has begun replacing existing equipment by 2029. Although the UK is no longer an EU member, it has also taken similar steps after following recommendations given by the United States. In Malaysia, the United States and the EU have issued strong warnings to the government not to use Huawei equipment in its second 5G network.
