German watchdog finds 'no proof' of 5G security threat from Huawei

Germany's Information Technology watchdog says that there is no evidence that Huawei's 5G network infrastructure could pose a threat to Germany's national security.

German newspaper, Spiegel, reported that the country's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) had found no proof that Huawei's network infrastructure was any more or less secure than that of its competitors.    

In recent weeks, a group of back bench MPs have been agitating for a full ban on Huawei's participation in Germany's 5G rollout, following similar moves in the US and Australia.

"For such serious decisions like a ban, you need proof," the head of Germany's BSI, Arne Schoenbohm.

Last month Reuters reported that a group of top German politicians were lobbying for a complete ban on Chinese companies from the country's commercial 5G rollout.

“There is serious concern. If it were up to me we would do what the Australians are doing,” one senior German official told news agency Reuters.

Huawei has repeatedly stipulated that it would be prepared to work with European governments to allay any concerns they may have over the security of its networks. The Chinese tech giant currently works with customers in 170 countries across the world, including major carriers, Fortune 500 companies and hundreds of millions of individual customers across the world.

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