Already at the beginning of July, we published the fact that Huawei in France is not completely excluded from the 5G infrastructure, but there it is recommended to do without the company’s technology. In the same breath, we also mentioned the United Kingdom, where the use of Huawei hardware was also debated.
Now it is clear: The providers are not allowed to use Huawei technology there and must remove components that have already been implemented from their networks by 2027.
Digital minister Oliver Dowden has confirmed the decision in the House of Commons. He also stated that this would delay the 5G expansion in Great Britain by around a year. The decision was not made easy, but it was the right way for the UK’s security and economy in the long term. Already used Huawei equipment for 2G, 3G and 4G may continue to be used.
Now it will also be important that Nokia is not the only supplier because then you only put yourself in a dependency. By the way, the UK did not directly accuse Huawei of espionage, unlike the US. Due to the US sanctions, Huawei is now cut off from US technologies and companies that use them.
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This is a problem in the long term because it is assumed that Huawei will use other suppliers and technologies, but can no longer guarantee the security standards that are desired in the United Kingdom. The technical challenges for Huawei are too big for that.
But probably many considerations played a role in the background. Great Britain is working on a new trade agreement with the United States. Huawei, on the other hand, had previously indicated that it would take its consequences if you were banned from the 5G network in the United Kingdom.
Further investments should now be weighed very carefully there. For example, Huawei supports research projects at several British universities and employs around 400 people in several research centers. Huawei will presumably publicly comment on the decision later.
Source: BBC
