"Excluding Huawei... London 5G Quality Ranks Lowest in Europe"

Chinese local media reported that the quality of 5th generation mobile communication (5G) has deteriorated in the UK, which joined the sanctions against Huawei, China's largest telecommunications equipment company.

On the 15th, China Chankao Xiaoshiyang cited the results of a survey by Spain's MedUX, reporting that London ranked the lowest in the 5G quality survey of major European cities. This evaluation was conducted on 10 major European cities including London, Berlin in Germany, Barcelona in Spain, Paris in France, and Lisbon in Portugal.

According to the survey, London's 5G coverage rate was about 77.5%, falling short of Berlin's (89.6%) coverage level, which ranked first. London's average downlink speed was 143 Mbps, significantly behind Lisbon's 528 Mbps. Rafael Gallareta, Chief Marketing Officer of MedUX, stated, "The UK's 5G network is lagging in terms of speed, accessibility, and network responsiveness," adding, "The UK's decision to exclude Huawei's 5G equipment may be one of the reasons for the decline in London's 5G network quality."

In 2020, the UK announced that it must completely stop using Huawei equipment in its 5G network by 2027. Chankao Xiaoshiyang explained, "At that time, this decision was strongly criticized by UK telecom operators as hindering 5G deployment."

While the United States is intensifying sanctions against Huawei, only 10 out of the 27 European Union (EU) member countries have joined the sanctions. According to Taiwan's Liberty Times, as of this month, 10 member countries including Sweden and Latvia have joined the sanctions against Huawei and ZTE, while 17 countries, about 60%, have not participated.

The EU Commission issued guidelines in January 2020 effectively targeting Huawei and ZTE, stating that suppliers posing security risks could have their supply of key components restricted or banned. Subsequently, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia followed the US in excluding Huawei and ZTE from their 5G projects.