This blog stems from intrepid reporting by Politico.eu, which identified numerous locations potentially housing Huawei equipment at or near the site of the Munich Security Conference: the elegant, five-star Bayerischer Hof Hotel (where years ago, I spent happy hours). The Politico team interviewed a number of cybersecurity experts, vendors, operators, and government officials in piecing together their findings. Not surprisingly, some interviewees refused to disclose information tying exact equipment (i.e., kit and components) with exact locations. Still, given the German operators’ extensive utilization of Huawei, Politico worked from probabilities: To wit, a study last year by a respected Copenhagen-based consulting firm, Strand Consult, estimated that Germany relied on Huawei for 59 percent of its 5G rollout, on top of an already massive dependency on Huawei equipment for its earlier 4G deployment. Using public maps and regulators’ data, Politico found some 13 locations for Huawei masts and antennae near the Bayerischer Hof (including the hotel’s own mast). The team also shared photos of seven of these sites with equipment experts on radio access network (RAN) equipment and found that at least two—and likely three—locations were definitely Huawei RAN kits. Obviously, the degree of the cybersecurity threat ultimately depends on both the type and amount of Huawei equipment in any particular location. Other locations shared by several operators were also deemed likely to include key Huawei components.

So What? While clearly happy to have uncovered embarrassing details about the “Huawei problem,” Politico also exposed the “Black hole of [German] telecoms intelligence.” And the issue of Huawei and network security in Europe extends well beyond Germany.

Despite years of pressure from both the Trump and Biden administrations, Europe has been slow in responding to US warnings—and threats—of cybersecurity cutoffs unless Huawei equipment is eliminated from European national telecoms networks. At the end of 2022, it is estimated that eight European nations are relying on Huawei for 50 percent or more of their 5G rollout. The European Commission has published a “EU Toolbox for 5G Security” giving guidelines for minimizing security risks—aimed at Huawei and ZTE, though they are not explicitly named. A number of EU nations have cybersecurity laws on the books but have not moved to implement them, and only recently has the European Commission finally began to criticize their lack of action.

However, the situation may be changing. In Germany, an increasing number of Bundestag legislators—from all three major parties—have called for reining in Huawei, as have members of the ruling coalition’s cabinet. For instance, a digital policy expert in the Greens party has stated, “The technology of Chinese companies urgently needs to be removed at least from the core area of our critical IT infrastructure.”

There is one final note on Huawei’s future in Germany and Europe. There is solid evidence that the Biden administration’s most recent highly restrictive export controls on the semiconductor chips vital for 5G network equipment are crippling Huawei. Over the past year, the company has drawn back in Europe, leaving large new opportunities for its two chief competitors, Ericsson and Nokia.

Meanwhile, about that mast with a stunning city view on the roof of the Bayerischer Hof . . .

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