Banning Huawei would cost EU telcos up to €55 bn: industry body

Banning Huawei and fellow Chinese equipment maker ZTE from Europe's roll-out of 5G telecom networks would cost EU mobile operators up to €55 billion, according to an industry body's internal assessment seen by AFP Friday. The operators would also face delays of up to 18 months in getting next-generation 5G out to their customers, according to the impact assessment drawn up by the GSM Association, which represents mobile network operators around the world. The evaluation feeds into a debate triggered by US demands that companies in Europe and other allied nations shun Huawei as a 5G equipment supplier because of Washington's fears it could compromise intelligence services. The GSMA assessment notes that Huawei and ZTE account for around 40 per cent of the EU market supplying mobile equipment, and Huawei "is currently a pioneer in 5G technology". European rivals Ericsson of Sweden and Nokia of Finland, as well as South Korea's Samsung, do not have the capacity to handle all of the shift from 3G and 4G networks to 5G in Europe while honouring contracts already signed in North America and Asia, it said. That implies significant costs and delays should operators not be able to use...