Huawei faces rising repair bill amid UK security fears

SECURITY chiefs have raised doubts that the £1.5bn pledged by China’s Huawei will be enough to fix critical problems with Britain’s telecoms network.

The company agreed to overhaul its structure and equipment after a series of concerns were raised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ.

But senior government officials believe the scale of the problem means it may have to spend significantly more than the £1.5bn it has suggested to fully address concerns, the Mail understands.

Huawei’s kit is used throughout the UK’s phone and internet networks. But there are fears outdated software could leave the equipment vulnerable to hacking attacks or spying.

In a row with cyber- security chiefs, the telecoms group was told to address the risks or face having its technology branded ‘unsecure’.

The NCSC’s concerns centre on fears that as many as 30,000 so-called ‘base stations’ across the UK, including radio antennas used by mobile phones, rely on software that will no longer be updated by manufacturers in the near future.

This means vulnerabilities which are found could be much harder to fix, potentially leaving the kit open to hacking attacks.

Because of this, new software must be installed in the base stations along with new components capable of running it.

Last night a spokesman for the company confirmed it may need to spend more than £1.5bn on the upgrade.

Some governments have alleged that Huawei’s equipment can be used by the Chinese government to spy.

But its carrier business president Ryan Ding told MPs on Wednesday that the company refuted any such claims saying that accusers ‘have never substantiated these allegations with solid evidence’. The NCSC declined to comment.