16 Okt ecta warns against adverse consequences of a ban of Chinese suppliers for EU welfare and 5G deployment
Brussels, 16 October 2020. ecta denounces any bans of Chinese 5G suppliers for geopolitical reasons and emphasises that such decisions can only be justified on the basis of well-established facts. The 5G Toolbox provides a suitable EU framework for responding to security issues affecting the networks of the future while respecting European and national sovereignty.
ecta warns against the adverse consequences that the elimination of specific supplierswill have on consumer and business interests, and on the cohesion of the internal market.
A reduction in the number of worldwide suppliers from 5 to 3 will not only impact the telecoms sector by increasing costs, negatively impacting performance, delaying the deployment of 5G networks and constraining innovation potential. It will also have important wider socio-economic consequences such as reducing the capacity of enterprises, public institutions, civil society and individual end-users to offer new digital services and successfully drive growth and recovery—a capacity on which EU policy makers have rightly placed much emphasis for securing our future welfare.
ecta and its members also recall that access to specific vendors, if it is not guaranteed on an equivalent basis for all operators, risks distorting competition. These implications can materialise not only within individual Member States, but also across countries, thus allowing some to gain a comparative advantage through more advanced and efficient technologies.
Therefore, a future-proof approach to the security of Europe’s networks should remain both evidence-based and commercially sensitive, involve the operator community and avoid competitive prejudice that will destroy value. Standards, certification and legal rules need to come together to create a coherent framework that maintains electronic communications secure and affordable.
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ectamembers are united in their belief that competition is the best driver of efficient investments and the greatest enabler of innovation, choice and benefits for citizens and businesses, as well as for the European economy overall. This is the key message that ecta and its members continuously promote.
For further information on the contents of this press release and ecta’s positions, contact: Luc Hindryckx, Director General, +32 (0)2 290 0102
