The German government and the three major mobile network operators in Germany have agreed on a framework for the future handling of 5G components from Chinese manufacturers. The result is a voluntary commitment.
These were no easy negotiations, as such a contract deeply interferes with business and technological matters. However, the agreement that has now been reached with the German government on the handling of 5G components from Chinese manufacturers provides clarity. A good balance has thus been found between the security interests of our country and the necessary further expansion of digital infrastructures in Germany. Above all, the agreement benefits our customers in terms of the best possible network supply.
Two key dates were agreed in the negotiations with the federal government
2026
By this date, any components from Chinese manufacturers Huawei/ZTE still present in the 5G core networks must be replaced by components from other Western manufacturers. Chinese components for the core network may no longer be used from this date. Our core network is already free of Chinese vendors.
2029
Further potential risks are to be reduced or eliminated by then. In this context, the network operators have committed to replacing the existing proprietary software for controlling and configuring the transport and antenna network with software from a third-party manufacturer. Deutsche Telekom is already working on the development of appropriate software.
We are talking about very complex systems with a large number of previously undisclosed software interfaces in the individual components of the mobile network.
This must of course meet the high security and performance requirements and be tested accordingly before roll-out. Such a product is currently not available on the entire world market. We are therefore doing pioneering work with our development.
We had proposed this innovative approach to the federal government for more provider diversity - which requires the willingness of manufacturers to cooperate - even if the associated financial expenditure represents a challenge for us.
However, this will help us to press ahead with our Open RAN strategy, which is already being implemented. Open RAN is the technology of choice for future mobile networks. Deutsche Telekom is a founding member of the global O-RAN Alliance and an active contributor to Open RAN standardization.
Open RAN is a unique opportunity to achieve several important goals:
- Open RAN allows us to use new combinations of suppliers
- It will increase competition in the manufacturer market and cost efficiency
- Open RAN guarantees vendor diversity and greatly reduces existing dependencies on a few suppliers
- Open RAN improves network resilience and security
- Open RAN promotes innovation and technology leadership in Europe
We have already implemented the first Open RAN clusters in eastern Germany this year using this innovative network technology and will gradually replace a larger number of locations with Open RAN over the next few years.
In this context, we have also agreed with the Federal Government to create a joint forum of mobile network operators, manufacturers and the Federal Government to address issues relating to the security of current and future mobile networks.