Huawei can't be trusted for building 5G mobile networks, German Intelligence tells federal panel
German intelligence officials believe that Huawei cooperates with its national secret service
Germany's foreign intelligence service believe that Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei isn't a reliable partner and should not be allowed to participate in building country's upcoming 5G mobile networks.
The damming assessment by officials within German Intelligence comes despite a government rebuffal of US demands that Huawei be kept out of the country's 5G networks, or risk losing access to critical US intelligence.
According to Bloomberg, a senior official of the country's intelligence service told a federal panel on Wednesday that there are several past security-related events, which force German agencies to distrust the Chinese company.
Speaking at the same event, another foreign affairs ministry official said that Huawei likely cooperates with its national secret service.
"It's above all a matter of trustworthiness," the foreign affairs representative told the panel.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that US administration had warned the German government to ban Huawei from its upcoming 5G mobile network projects or face the risk of being cut off from intelligence-sharing.
Huawei is currently facing intense scrutiny in several countries over allegations that Chinese agencies could use its equipment for spying. The US has been pressing allies not to allow use of Huawei's equipment in their 5G networks.
But Huawei has repeatedly denied all these allegations, stating that all its equipmentais safe to use, and that the company doesn't share any data with the Chinese intelligence agencies.
In Germany, auctioning of 5G licences will start next week and, according to Bloomberg, the country's intelligence agencies have been advising the government not to allow Huawei in 5G infrastructure projects.
Earlier this month, Germany's Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) published some new requirements for telecommunication companies, which are expected to appear in draft form in the coming months and will be applicable to all telecom networks, not just 5G.
The first requirement from BNetzA demands telecom companies to procure systems only from "trustworthy suppliers" whose compliance with national security regulations is assured. These suppliers must also have provisions for the secrecy of telecommunications and for data protection.
Under planned requirements, telecoms firms will constantly monitor network traffic for any abnormal event and should take appropriate measures if there is any cause for concern.
The companies will also use only those components that have been certified by the Federal Office for Information Security.
If planned requirements are approved by the government, German firms will be forced to avoid using a single vendor, and will allow only "trained professionals" to work in security-related areas.