THE telecom industry has called on European governments to join mobile operators in establishing a testing regime to protect network security without having to resort to the disruptive step of excluding vendors from the market.

The initiative is put forward by the GSMA, which represents 800 operators worldwide.

Operators warn that such a step would disrupt the supply of equipment, increase costs to them and their customers, delay the rollout of next-generation 5G services by years, and potentially hobble existing networks.

“Such significant consequences, intended or not, are entirely avoidable,” the GSMA said in a statement issued just over two weeks before it hosts its annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The industry fest, to be attended by more than 100,000 visitors, is also expected to feature a closed-doors discussion of telecom CEOs of the risks to the industry that would arise if governments boycott Huawei, sources have said.

The GSMA proposal marks the industry’s biggest attempt to avert more bans on Huawei, such as those introduced by the U.S. and Australian governments. Huawei is the world’s biggest supplier of telecom network equipment with a market share of 28 percent.

The GSMA said it was assembling a task force of European operators to identify ways to enhance existing testing regimes run by individual operators, by third-party laboratories or in partnership with 3GPP, the 5G standardization body.

It recommended that governments and mobile operators work together to agree on an assurance and testing regime for Europe “so that it ensures confidence in network security while maintaining competition in the supply of network equipment.”

Responding, Huawei said: “We are committed to working globally with everyone involved in network security: partners, suppliers, regulators and governments, to find the best way to ensure the security, safety and privacy of data.”

Huawei, an associate member of the GSMA, is traditionally one of the biggest exhibitors in Barcelona. The Shenzhen-based company is expected to offer a sneak-peek of its next handset on the eve of the event. (SD-Agencies)