No room for Huawei and China in Germany's future 6G networks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in a bid to assert Germany’s digital sovereignty, said the country won’t allow Chinese components in its 6G network.

Merz’s announcement is the latest in a growing line of European countries dumping Chinese tech and cutting ties with manufacturers they evaluate to be risks.

Germany’s digital sovereignty and national security concerns

Merz, in a business conference in Berlin on Thursday, emphasized that Chinese components have no place in next-generation networks. “We won’t allow any components from China in the 6G network,” the German Chancellor said.

Germany took a firm stance to exclude Huawei Technologies and other Chinese suppliers from its future communication networks due to concerns about potential security vulnerabilities linked to Huawei equipment. German authorities fear that the Chinese government’s influence over the tech manufacturer potentially creates an opening for espionage within critical telecoms infrastructure, a fear that has been echoed by other Western countries.

By banning Huawei from 6G networks, Germany aims to eliminate future risks.

Merz said he’d have a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron at an upcoming summit on digital sovereignty. “We’ll discuss with industry what we can do, not only to make ourselves independent from China, but also for example independent from the USA, independent from the big tech companies.”

Major operators like Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefonica will need to adapt new strategies and find alternative suppliers, primarily European technology firms.

Europe pushes out Chinese tech

Germany’s decision to exclude Huawei from its 6G networks mirrors similar moves by other European countries as the bloc has been intensifying efforts to phase out Huawei and ZTE equipment from member state networks amid shared concerns about Chinese state influence and cybersecurity threats.

Germany first made moves to remove Huawei equipment from core network components in 2024. Now, the country has made a stance to totally exclude Huawei and other Chinese suppliers from its future 6G network.

Finland and other EU countries have recently announced plans or taken steps to ban Huawei for future network development.

Beyond Europe, the US and several other countries have long restricted Huawei’s role in critical telecom projects, citing national security.

Germany’s decision is expected to influence supply chains and investment decisions in the telecom market, potentially increasing costs and slowing deployment timelines during the transition away from Huawei.

However, Merz notes that total independence from Chinese technology is not possible. “We can’t do that”. He also cautioned business executives to understand the risks of doing business with China, adding that Germany will not always be able to protect them.

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