Deutsche Telekom Re-Evaluates Buying After Huawei's Troubles

Deutsche Telekom is re-evaluating its purchasing strategy amid growing security concerns surrounding Huawei, according to Bloomberg. It is the first indication the German carrier may drop the Chinese company from its list of network suppliers.

DT already has a multi-vendor approach, sourcing equipment not just from Huawei, but also from Ericsson, Nokia and Cisco, it said in an emailed response to questions. “Nevertheless we are currently re-evaluating our procurement strategy,“ the company said. “Deutsche Telekom takes the global discussion about the security of network elements from Chinese manufacturers very seriously.“

Deutsche Telekom is one of Huawei’s biggest European technology partners, having installed equipment from the Chinese company in thousands of its telephony towers. Huawei technology also forms the backbone of DT cloud products, and it powers the carrier’s 5G networks in Berlin and Warsaw. German officials have become uncomfortable with Huawei’s particiption in 5G and have been reviewing the issue.

France’s government has been warning the industry about Huawei for some time, Orange CEO Stephane Richard said. He added that the French carrier is working with Ericsson and Nokia on current networks and new 5G systems, and not Huawei.