Telefonica Deutschland will be using equipment from Ericsson to build its 5G core mobile network in Germany.

Telefonica said the choice of the Swedish telecom network supplier would safeguard the security of its next-generation services.

Telefonica Deutschland, which operates under the O2 brand in Germany, will implement an independent 5G core network with cloud compatibility in its infrastructure by 2021, using Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, says Mallik Rao, chief technology & information officer of Telefonica Deutschland.

Germany’s three main operators are removing Huawei from their network cores but continue to rely on the Chinese telecom equipment vendor for the less sensitive peripheral radio access networks that will carry 5G traffic.

“As a network operator serving the most mobile customers in Germany we have a special social responsibility to provide secure networks,” Telefonica Deutschland CEO Markus Haas said in a statement on Tuesday.