Quick Take: German telcos - Chinese equipment rip-and-replace under current rules?

German media report a regulatory move that could pave the way towards a rip-and-replace order for Chinese equipment in the mobile access network. Germany's telco regulator Bundesnetzagentur has submitted a proposed regulation to an EU technical body (TRIS portal) that would see the radio access network (RAN) classified as "critical infrastructure". That classification would then open a pathway for the Ministry of the Interior to prohibit "high risk vendors" (Huawei, ZTE) in the RAN and/or even impose a rip-and-replace order, following existing EU and German rule books without changes to the regulatory framework. Germany has the highest exposure among larger European countries to Chinese RAN equipment, with Chinese vendors accounting for up to 60% of active 5G RAN infrastructure in Germany;