Huawei dodged another bullet in its efforts to become the dominant 5G equipment provider, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel refusing to call for an outright ban on the company.
Reuters reports that Merkel did call for a higher threshold of security for 5G, as opposed to previous wireless technologies, but believes it can be achieved without singling out any one company.
“I tend to trust ourselves to define high security standards, higher than with 4G, 3G and 2G, but not to shut out vendors from the beginning….We have always stood for fair and free competition, and also fact-based competition, and not simply qualified it based on differing political systems,” Merkel said.
The news follows a similar stand by the French government. According to Reuters, Junior Economy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told BFM Business television: “We do not target one equipment maker. There is no exclusion.”
The French government will, however, reserve the right to vet all 5G equipment providers and make sure they pass national security checks.
The two countries are taking a much different stand than the U.S., where the Trump administration has already implemented a ban on Huawei. U.S. officials have been trying to pressure European allies to follow suit although, obviously, they are not meeting with much success.
