U.K. to boot Huawei from 5G network
Sides with U.S. despite fear of China backlash
• Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered Huawei equipment to be purged completely from the country’s 5G network by the end of 2027, risking the ire of China by signalling that the world’s biggest telecoms equipment maker is not welcome in the West.
As Britain prepares to cast off from the European Union, fears over the security of Huawei have forced Johnson to choose between global rivals the United States and China.
He had been under intense pressure from U. S. President Donald Trump, while Beijing had warned London that billions in investment would be at risk if it sided with Washington.
Reversing a January decision to allow Huawei to supply up to 35 per cent of the non- core 5G network, Johnson banned British telecoms operators from buying any 5G equipment from Huawei by year- end and gave them seven years to rip out existing gear.
“This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the U. K. telecoms networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run,” digital minister Oliver Dowden told parliament.
The reason given for the about- turn was the impact of new U.S. sanctions on chip technology, which Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre, part of the GCHQ eavesdropping agency, had told ministers meant Huawei was not a reliable supplier.
Tuesday’s decision will delay the roll- out of 5G — cast as the nervous system of the future economy — by two to three years, and add costs of up to $2.5 billion.
London has been dismayed by a crackdown in Hong Kong and the perception China did not tell the whole truth over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Huawei said the decision was more about U. S. trade policy than security. “It threatens to move Britain into the digital slow lane, push up bills and deepen the digital divide,” a spokesman said.
In what some have compared to the Cold War antagonism with the Soviet Union, the U. S. is worried that 5G dominance could lead towards Chinese technological supremacy.
British ministers say the rise to global dominance of Huawei has caught the West off-guard.
Dowden said Britain was working with its intelligence allies to foster a group of rivals to Huawei, naming firms from Finland, Sweden, South Korea and Japan.
“The first thing we need to do is ensure that we protect the other two vendors in this market, so Nokia, and Ericsson,” Dowden said. “Secondly we need to get new suppliers in, that starts with Samsung, and it starts with NEC.”