BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The use of Chinese components in future German cell phone networks is still being examined, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. "Overall, the status is that the review of critical 5G components is still ongoing," a spokesperson told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Thursday. It remained unclear whether the ongoing review means that the political talks will also continue. "Any discussions within the federal government are confidential, so we cannot confirm any talks," said the spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

According to a report in the "Handelsblatt" newspaper, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and several ministers wanted to discuss the issue this Thursday. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) as well as Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (both Greens) were also present. According to the report, the German government is considering a solution in the near future, possibly before the parliamentary summer break, which begins at the start of July. It will also involve products from the Chinese company ZTE.

In September, the Ministry of the Interior had already decided to radically ban Huawei and ZTE from the network. The three mobile network providers Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica Deutschland (O2) were to rid their core networks of critical components of Chinese origin by the end of 2025. By 2026, the major metropolitan areas - above all the capital Berlin - should be free of Chinese components in the access network if possible.

However, there were concerns in the department of Digital Minister Wissing. They argued that there were already strict regulations in place. A spokesperson emphasized on Thursday: "We firmly reject the claim that the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport is blocking a decision on security issues relating to the expansion of the mobile network."/hrz/DP/ngu