Britain is slated to remove Huawei equipment from its 5G mobile networks this year, UK press reported over the weekend. If so, it marks a major turnaround in the government’s position on the Chinese telecommunications giant.
The government is developing plans to remove Huawei equipment from Britain’s next-generation networks by the end of the year, The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph newspapers reported.
It comes after London said in January that Huawei could play a limited role in Britain’s 5G networks, a move that angered the US by trying to get other countries to block the Chinese company. Washington contends that Huawei is a national security risk, claiming that its equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage. Huawei has repeatedly denied the claim.
The apparent reversal of the policy was prompted by a new report from a branch of the British intelligence agency GCHQ that raised new security fears about Huawei after US moves to cut the Chinese key chip company.
The new US standard passed in May requires foreign manufacturers using American chip-making equipment to obtain a license before they can sell semiconductors to Huawei. The UK’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) launched an emergency review of Huawei’s role soon after.
That review will be presented to the government this week and concludes that U.S. sanctions will force Huawei to use unreliable technology that could make the risk impossible to control, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is drawing up plans to halt the purchase of new Huawei equipment and phase out existing 5G equipment, the newspaper said.
The UK government and NCSC were not immediately available for comment when CNBC contacted them.
Victor Zhang, vice president of Huawei, said the firm is open to discussions with the government and that it is “too early to determine the impact” of the restrictions proposed by the United States.
“All of our world leading products and solutions use technology and components over which the UK government has strict oversight. Our technology is already widely used in 5G networks across the country and has helped connect people throughout the blockade, “Zhang said in a statement.
Pressure from the United States
The United States has been in a global campaign for more than a year to convince nations to block Huawei from its 5G networks. Some like Australia have followed suit.
But when the UK decided to allow Huawei a limited role, a move that allegedly angered President Donald Trump. American politicians have publicly urged the United Kingdom to change its mind. Britain’s latest reports are likely to be viewed favorably in Washington.
US Senator Ben Sasse, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a well-known Chinese hawk, supported the UK’s possible investment in Huawei.
“President Xi’s spy network is not going to like this, but it is good for the British government,” Sasse said in a statement. “Shared security interests are an important part of our special relationship with the British, and the technological puppet of the Chinese Communist Party must not be allowed to sit in the networks of our closest allies.”
It is unclear how much American pressure played on the UK’s informed decision.
Paul Harrison, Huawei’s head of international media, posted a series of tweets over the weekend in which he said the United States “fell asleep on the 5G wheel years ago and are struggling to regain market position.”
Harrison said Huawei has been in the UK market for 20 years and “has helped telecom providers push the UK to become a global leader in 5G.” He added: “Restricting Huawei will do little to maintain that leadership.”
“Shouldn’t the United States respect a UK in the post-Brexit era that is in a position to choose its own telecom strategy? In #Huawei right now, the Trump administration wants to make the decisions …,” he concluded.
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