Germany is exploring the possibility of barring certain parts from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in its telecoms networks, according to a government source.
The German Government has initiated a review of the telecoms sector suppliers. This evaluation is an industry-wide assessment and does not target specific vendors. The confirmation was provided by a Ministry of Interior representative on Tuesday.
Read more: EU Signals Germany To Cut Down On Huawei
The German government is currently assessing its relationship with China, one of its primary trading partners. However, it has not chosen to single out Huawei in any particular way, whilst still preparing legislation to regulate the company.
“We cannot be reliant on components of individual suppliers,” Finance Minister Christian Lindner told Welt TV.
The review could lead to Germany asking operators to remove and replace components already built into networks, the interior ministry spokesperson said, adding that current legislation did not foresee compensation for them.
