The Federal Network Agency catalog of conditions for suppliers of new 5G networks comprise of demanding certification of important components and assuring trustworthiness of manufacturers, without singling out Huawei for exclusion.

 

Huawei replied it welcomed the German government's step to ''create a level playing field'' for 5G suppliers, where ''all vendors are equally and fairly welcome to participate in the construction of 5G networks if they fulfill the security requirements.''

 

The U.S. has been lobbying allies in Europe to avoid Huawei, the world's biggest maker of networking equipment, over doubts its equipment may possibly help Chinese electronic spying, claims the company has over repeatedly denied. The Trump administration cut out its access to U.S. technology in May, part of a broader geopolitical feud between Washington and Beijing over technology and trade.

 

The top U.S. cybersecurity diplomat, Rob Strayer, declared that in addition to testing equipment and software for vulnerabilities, governments should also take into account the background of the manufacturer's home country, including whether it has independent courts and the rule of law.

 

U.S. officials worry that companies in China are required to cooperate with intelligence requests under a national intelligence law. ''If there's technology that's untrusted deployed in their networks, then we have to reassess how we share information with countries like Germany,'' Strayer told in a telephone media briefing, though he added he had not yet assessed the German rules, which are open for consultation and could become law by the end of the year.

 

Strayer also appreciated a European Union assessment of 5G security risks last week that alerted about several cyber threats including from hostile countries and ''state-backed actors,'' besides the fact that it avoided singling out China or Huawei. New 5G networks guarantee superfast download speeds and reduced signal delay that can power a wave of innovations such as for example factory robots and remote surgery, but their increased reliance on software raises the challenges of cyberattacks.

 

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