Huawei’s 5G base station can now be sold within the EU region. According to a Xinhua News report, Huawei has passed the EU certification authority TÜV SÜD’s verification requirements and become the first company to obtain the CE type examination certificate (TEC) for 5G products—which means it is approved for commercial use in the EU.
Huawei initiated its 5G research project back in 2009 and since then has invested over $600 million in related research and has established eleven 5G research centers across the world. In February, the smartphone maker unveiled its first 5G chipset compatible with global standards, which is said to be part of its effort to reduce dependence on US semiconductor company Qualcomm.
Huawei is one step closer to realizing large-scale 5G commercial deployment despite the hurdles it faced while trying to make inroads in the US market. By contrast, Europe has proven to be a friendlier market for Chinese tech companies to expand into. The company said it is increasingly looking at the Europe to grow its international market share.
China is rushing to be the first country to roll out 5G, and has been aggressively testing out the technology. On the same day as Huawei getting this approval, Chinese regulators gave approval for the three state-run telecom operators to test 5G in 16 major cities across China.