Brussels has unveiled an EU-wide plan to deal with the potential security risks of new 5G mobile networks in a move that reflects rising fears about Chinese companies and is seen by critics as overdue.
The bloc’s 28 countries will have three months to carry out national risk assessments and then another 15 to act on and tighten new pan-EU standards to protect the critical communications infrastructure, under a European Commission proposal published on Tuesday.
The recommendation comes at a time when the EU is in a series of rolling 5G spectrum auctions, and under growing pressure from the US to take a tough line and ban products made by Huawei and other Chinese technology businesses from sensitive systems.