The concern over the data security system on the Huawei networks has now reached the European countries after the United States banned the technology giant over its network. Following the footsteps of the US, some of the European countries have now started to doubt that whether using Huawei for vital infrastructure for mobile networks could leave them exposed to snooping by the Chinese government.
A series of ban in the European countries could lead to a financial crisis in Huawei as it is the largest market of the company outside China. Moreover, a ban could also cost Europe tens of billions of dollars as the region gears up to build up 5G networks. An upgradation to 5G technologies would assist a vast expansion in internet-connected things, from self-driving cars to factory robots and remote surgery.
Thorsten Benner, director of the Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute think tank said that "Europe is still divided over Huawei, but the trend line is moving in a fairly clear direction" amid US mounting pressure on the Chinese tech giant.
Notably, the recent arrest of its chief financial officer, who is also the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei in Canada over the US allegations that the company violated restrictions on sales of American technology to Iran, further amplified the tension.
The US has blocked by the US administration since 2012 after a report by House Intelligence Committee found that it has a security implication on the US and recommended that the government and private companies stop buying its network equipment.
Last week, Germany's Deutsche Telekom had informed that it takes the global discussion about the security of network elements from Chinese manufacturers very seriously. The company further added that apart from Huawei, it uses other companies like Ericsson, Nokia and Cisco to build its networks. "Nevertheless, we are currently reevaluating our procurement strategy," the company in a statement.
British telecom has informed that it is under the process of removing the Huawei equipment from key parts of its current 3G and 4G networks. It said that the decision has taken as an internal policy.
