Rolling out 5G in Europe could cost €55bn ($62bn) more than expected and the technology may be delayed by about 18 months if Huawei and ZTE were completely banned, according to a report by telecoms lobby organisation GSMA. The Chinese firms have more than 40% of the EU market. The extra estimated costs would arise from higher input costs due to reduced competition and the replacement of infrastructure, GSMA found. Huawei “While it is not yet clear how much additional investment will need to be made for 5G, we believe that this should be taken into account when considering whether or not to approve any new spectrum It highlighted that it can overlay its 5G equipment over other vendors’ 4G kit and said it is already ahead of Huawei in 5G technology orders.
Rolling out 5G in Europe could cost €55bn ($62bn) more than expected and the technology may be delayed by about 18 months if Huawei and ZTE were completely banned, according to a report by telecoms lobby organisation GSMA. The Chinese firms have more than 40% of the EU market. The extra estimated costs would arise from higher input costs due to reduced competition and the replacement of infrastructure, GSMA found. “While it is not yet clear how much additional investment will need to be made for 5G, we believe that this should be taken into account when considering whether or not to approve any new spectrum It highlighted that it can overlay its 5G equipment over other vendors’ 4G kit and said it is already ahead of Huawei in 5G technology orders.