There are no plans to introduce a ban or restriction on Huawei hardware or software in Polish telecommunications networks, the Ministry of Digital Affairs told PAP. Last week, the European Commission appealed to EU countries to do so, in the context of 5G networks.
The press office of the Ministry of Digital Affairs indicated that Huawei equipment is used in Polish 5G networks, which is confirmed by numerous reports. It cited a report by Strand Consult on the 5G market in Europe, which shows that about 60% of the 4G network infrastructure in Poland is built using Chinese equipment.
“There are currently no plans to introduce a ban or restriction on the use of hardware or software in Polish telecommunications networks,” the ministry said.
As reported by MC, the share of Chinese equipment in Poland varies depending on the operator: in Play it is about 90%, in Orange and T-Mobile this share is about 70%, and the Plus network does not use it at all. It added that the percentage share was calculated according to the number of subscribers connected to the network built from the equipment of a given supplier.
The ministry indicated that in other European countries the share of Chinese equipment suppliers is: 57% in Germany, 55% in Hungary, 40% in Great Britain, 25% in France and 6% in Slovakia. The report cited by the ministry also shows that in 8 out of 31 European countries, more than half of 5G RAN equipment comes from Chinese suppliers, while in 11 countries no Chinese technology is used.
MC also referred to the report of the National Chamber of Ethernet Communications (KIKE) from November 2024, which concerns 64 micro, small and medium-sized telecommunications operators, with large operators excluded. This study shows that at the end of last year, all surveyed companies used equipment from suppliers outside the EU and NATO, mainly from Asia, and Huawei supplies 45% of the equipment used by these entities. At the same time, 95% of surveyed operators also use equipment from EU and NATO countries.
Last week, the European Commission called on EU member states to ban or restrict the use of equipment from Chinese company Huawei in their 5G networks for security reasons.
“We call on all Member States to take swift action in this direction, failure to do so could put the entire EU at risk. The security of our 5G networks is of course crucial to the EU economy,” said EC spokesman Thomas Regnier at the time. He assured that the EC would continue to work with Member States to ensure the security of EU telecommunications networks.
The decision to abandon the technology supplied by Huawei and to take steps in this direction were taken by 12 European countries, including Estonia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia and the United Kingdom; Poland is not among them.
Regnier recalled that in 2020 the EC classified Huawei as a “high-risk supplier” and already then appealed to the member states to take actions to limit or block the company's access to their 5G networks.
In 2020, then-candidate and current EU Commissioner for Digital Affairs and Security Henna Virkkunen raised concerns about the insufficient implementation of 5G security in the EU. The EC has long warned that ensuring the resilience of 5G networks is crucial for society, as the technology affects not only digital communications but also critical sectors such as energy, transport, banking and health, as well as industrial control systems. 5G networks also transmit sensitive information and support security systems that rely on them.
The EC is not alone in its warnings. The US administration, during Donald Trump's first term, also warned against Huawei. The Americans accused the company of using its equipment for espionage by the PRC authorities. Although the company vehemently denied reports of interference by the Chinese government, some EU member states have actually begun to withdraw the company's equipment from their telecommunications networks.
Last week, the investigative website Follow the Money reported that Huawei was involved in a new corruption scandal in the European Parliament, and that lobbyists for the Chinese company allegedly bribed former and current MEPs. According to the website, as part of a wide-ranging investigation, police allegedly searched a total of 21 offices and homes of lobbyists associated with Huawei in both Belgium and Portugal. An EC spokesman declined to comment on the reports last Thursday.
Monika Blandyna Lewkowicz (PAP)
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