Huawei escapes 5G ban in Europe, UK

Brussles/London, Jan. 28: The EU will not ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei or any other company in Europe, a top official said on Tuesday, despite intense pressure from Washington to shun the firm over spying fears.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will officially unveil recommendations to member states on Wednesday, but commissioner Thierry Breton told MEPs that Brussels will choose tight scrutiny over any blanket ban. “It is not a question of discrimination, it is a question of laying down rules. They will be strict, they will be demanding and of course we will welcome in Europe all operators who are willing to apply them,” he said.

The EU, while never explicitly naming the Chinese giant, is struggling to find a middle way to balance Huawei’s huge dominance in the 5G sector with security concerns pressed by Washington.

The proposal is part of a so-called “toolbox” of recommendations that will guide the EU's 27 postBrexit member states as they build crucial 5G networks.

Meanwhile, Britain decided on Tuesday to allow Huawei to build aspects of its new highspeed mobile network — but will exclude it from “core” parts of the new network. It’s a pivotal decision with implications for Britain's diplomatic relations with the US and China. The infrastructure program is seen as being critical to Britain’s economic future as the country leaves the EU.

The government said Tuesday after a meeting of its National Security Council that it is taking some steps that will allow it “to mitigate the potential risk posed by the supply chain and to combat the range of threats, whether cyber criminals, or state sponsored attacks.”

The US is “disappointed” by London's decision to approve plans to use technology from Huawei in the country’s 5G cellular network, a US official said Tuesday. “There is no safe option for untrusted vendors to control any part of a 5G network,” a senior administration official said

“The United States is disappointed by the UK's decision.” Washington has banned Huawei from the rollout of the next generation mobile network that offers almost instantaneous data transfer because of concerns that the firm could be under the control of Beijing, an allegation it strongly denies.

London's decision after a meeting of the National Security Council chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson came shortly after Brussels said it would allow Huawei a limited 5G role in the European Union. “High risk vendors never have been and never will be in our most sensitive networks,” Britain's Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan said, and such vendors will be excluded from sensitive locations, such as nuclear sites and military bases.