The European Commission is considering forcing European Union member states to gradually phase out Huawei and ZTE from their telecommunications networks. Bloomberg reports this, according to UNN.
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The European Commission is exploring ways to compel European Union member states to gradually phase out Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. from their telecommunications networks.
Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen wants to turn the European Commission's 2020 recommendation to stop using services from high-risk suppliers in mobile networks into a legal requirement.
"While decisions on infrastructure are made by national governments, Virkkunen's proposal would oblige EU countries to follow the commission's security recommendations. If the recommendations become legally binding, member states that do not comply could face a so-called infringement procedure and financial sanctions," the publication adds.
The EU is increasingly focusing on the risks posed by Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers as trade and political ties with its second-largest trading partner deteriorate. There are concerns that handing control of critical national infrastructure to companies with such close ties to Beijing could jeopardize national security interests.
Virkkunen is exploring ways to limit the use of Chinese equipment suppliers in fixed-line networks as countries push for the rapid deployment of state-of-the-art fiber optic cables to expand high-speed internet access.
Recall
Chinese chipmakers aim to triple the country's total production of artificial intelligence processors next year. This is driven by Beijing's competition with the United States in developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence.