2023-04-16 16:30:00
fear of espionage
More than half is Chinese technology: Faeser wants to know how dangerous our 5G network really is
Huawei’s share of the German mobile network is still enormous
© Mark Schiefelbein / DPA
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to check the security of German mobile networks – the focus is primarily on Chinese components. Their share is over 50 percent. The danger has been known for years.
In the USA, the technology of Chinese network manufacturers has been banned from mobile networks for years. And in Europe, too, people were actually skeptical about the expansion of the networks. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has now confirmed that the networks will be examined in detail. The reason is the fear of espionage opportunities.
“We have to protect our communication networks,” the interior minister told the “Bild am Sonntag”. “That’s why we are now examining all Chinese components already installed in the 5G network very carefully,” she promised. According to the minister, the main thing is to be able to identify and rule out dangers at an early stage. They want to “recognize risks, ward off dangers, avoid dependencies. This applies above all to our critical infrastructure,” she explained.
High proportion of Chinese components
The debate about a possible danger from Chinese components in the 5G network gained momentum again in March after years of hardly playing a role. If the European countries initially hesitated to rely on technology from China for the important 5G network, this skepticism had apparently changed little in practice. According to a study, components from the manufacturer Huawei alone account for 59 percent of the German 5G network. Even in the Chinese capital Beijing, the proportion of Huawei technology is lower than in Berlin.
In the USA, Huawei and its competitor ZTE have been locked out of the networks since 2020. The reason for this only became known at the end of 2021: in 2012, Huawei technicians had already installed a back door in the Australian mobile network on behalf of the Chinese government. Huawei has always denied involvement.
In the run-up to the 5G expansion, the company had tried to allay concerns. The European network operators were able to test the software extensively in their own laboratory in Shenzhen, the company assured them that Chinese employees would not have access to this part of the company premises stern during an on-site visit (read more here). Shortly thereafter, the USA imposed an economic ban on the mobile phone manufacturer.
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Deep intervention possibilities
The risk of unauthorized access to the mobile network should not be underestimated. Should a state actually be able to access even just parts of the mobile network, this would not only bring espionage opportunities. The potential to be able to switch off the network in a targeted manner in acts of sabotage would also be catastrophic in today’s networked world. In the case of 5G, there is also the risk of industrial espionage: for the first time, the technology allows companies to set up private mobile networks on their premises in order to replace WiFi networks. However, these networks are not part of the government test.
The fact that Chinese companies, unlike European providers such as Nokia or Ericsson, are particularly in focus is mainly due to their close proximity to the government. Huawei was founded by a former military engineer. Although the company claims to be owned by its employees, Western governments have questioned its independence from the Chinese state.
No specific allegations
However, Faeser emphasized that the investigation was not aimed at individual manufacturers. However, she does not want to rule out severe consequences. “If we recognize hazards, then we will ban components,” she explained in the interview.
Exactly how this is supposed to work should be exciting. The rollout of the 5G network is considered a great success, even faster than the network operators’ schedules had originally planned (read more here). If you now have to replace more than 50 percent of the components, this could destroy this success. However, a fallback to LTE would hardly reduce the risk: Even in the previous network, the share of Huawei technology is well over 50 percent.
Sources: BAMS, Reuters
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