Does China Telecom have 5G base stations at Southern European airports

How many 5G base stations are there in China?

In data collected between July 2022 and June 2024, China was reported to have had around 3.5 million 5G base stations installed across the country, with Chinese mobile operators investing heavily in 5G infrastructure. By comparison, the European Union had around 460,000 thousand base stations, while the United States had approximately 175,000.

Does China have a 5G network?

The most high-profile Chinese presence is in Europe’s 5G mobile networks. Huawei and ZTE—China’s leading telecom equipment vendors—have been major suppliers of the antennas, base stations, and switches that power wireless networks across Europe.

Are Chinese telecom giants a threat to Europe's 5G networks?

As Chinese telecom giants weave themselves into Europe’s 5G networks, undersea cables, and smart infrastructure, they bring not only speed and savings—but strategic risk.

Do European customers still rely on Chinese 5G equipment?

It seems these European customers still rely on the Chinese 5G equipment, mainly from Huawei despite EU warnings. Strand Consult says that one-third of 5G sites in 32 EU countries were using Chinese network equipment in Q4 2024. Even after the EU’s warning and efforts to abolish Chinese vendors from the European 5G market, Huawei remains powerful.