Germany's interior minister said on Thursday that discussions within the government on taking a harder course on 5G mobile networks, for example on providers from China, were far along.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said she was optimistic that the German government would find agreement on the issue.

Germany's interior ministry has proposed forcing telecoms operators to curb their use of equipment made by China's Huawei and ZTE after a review highlighted Germany's reliance on the two Chinese suppliers, according to a government official. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Writing by Miranda Murray; editing by Matthias Williams)