Huawei expects to secure 5G contracts in Germany

Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co has said that it expects to win 5G network contracts in Germany, which would mark the latest vote of confidence from foreign telecom carriers despite security allegations the company faces in some overseas markets.

Huawei is expected to deliver components needed for building 5G networks to major telecom carriers operating in Germany, namely Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica, said Vincent Pang, president of Huawei Western Europe, in an interview with German newspaper Rheinische Post.

A group of telecom operators at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, either confirmed new orders or expressed a willingness to do business with the world's largest telecom equipment maker.

Commenting on Huawei's growing overseas contracts, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday, "Most countries in the world are still able to independently make choices that are in line with national interests."

At the conference, Etisalat, the largest telecom operator in the United Arab Emirates, announced a partnership with Huawei to launch a 5G network in the country by the end of this year.

Rain, South Africa's mobile data-only network operator, also signed a deal with Huawei to launch the country's first 5G commercial network.

"Mapping out 5G requires a company to have a well-rounded ability to build the network, such as end-to-end construction," said Xiang Ligang, chairman of the Information Consumption Alliance.

To put 5G into commercial use, companies should also take efficiency and cost into consideration, and "Huawei is competitive in all of the above capabilities and has gained a lead on a global scale".

Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone－the world's second-largest mobile operator－said, "Cutting the number of network suppliers from three to two would damage the industry and economic growth."

He said at this year's conference in Spain that barring Huawei "will delay 5G in Europe by probably two years－it will structurally disadvantage Europe".

Huawei has been steadily increasing its 5G contracts despite alleged security concerns it faces in some markets, said Wang Yanhui, secretary-general of the Mobile China Alliance.

The company said at the conference that to date, it has secured over 30 5G contracts in overseas markets and has signed cooperation deals with more than 50 partners.