(qlmbusinessnews.com via news.sky.com– Tue, 28th Jan, 2020) London, Uk – –
The Chinese technology company scores a win but it comes with conditions designed to placate those with security fears.
Huawei will be allowed to play a limited role in the UK's 5G network, the government has said.
Among the conditions for the Chinese company's involvement are:
- It will be excluded from all safety related and safety critical networks
- It will be excluded from sensitive geographic locations such as nuclear sites and military bases
- It will have a 35% cap in periphery (non-sensitive parts) of the 5G network
Sky's defence and security correspondent Alistair Bunkall said: “The National Security Council, on the advice of intelligence agencies, particularly GCHQ, has concluded that having Huawei on the peripheries of 5G can be managed and the security risks can be mitigated.
“It won't be a part of the core elements of 5G provision – that means in theory it won't have oversight of messages, data sharing, for example. Instead it will be limited to the non-core factors – things like provision of aerials and antennas. Even in that respect, its share will be limited to 35%.Huawei decision: Sky correspondents share their take
Analysis: Is 5G safe?
“Actually Huawei's involvement overall will be really pretty limited but it reflects the influence the Chinese telecoms firm has in the technology market – an influence that few others are able to rival.”
He added: “Britain's decision today is likely to be watched very carefully by a lot of other partners, particularly in Europe, who might decide if Britain can include Huawei in their infrastructure, why can't everyone else?”
UK Culture Secretary Baroness Morgan said: “This is a UK-specific solution for UK-specific reasons and the decision deals with the challenges we face right now.
“It not only paves the way for secure and resilient networks, with our sovereignty over data protected, but it also builds on our strategy to develop a diversity of suppliers.
“We can now move forward and seize the huge opportunities of 21st-century technology.”Huawei: The risks explained
Opponents of the idea had feared that allowing the Chinese tech company to build the network would be handing control of infrastructure to Beijing.
There were also concerns that, with Huawei's close links to the Chinese government, the equipment could be used for espionage, something the company has always denied.
After the government's announcement, Huawei vice president Victor Zhang said the company was “reassured”.
He added: “This evidence-based decision will result in a more advanced, more secure and more cost-effective telecoms infrastructure that is fit for the future. It gives the UK access to world-leading technology and ensures a competitive market.”
The debate has caused tension with the US, which had warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to approve Huawei, saying it could jeopardise future intelligence-sharing between the members of Five Eyes, an alliance which comprises Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in London on Wednesday and will meet Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
Sharing an article about the decision on Huawei, Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy tweeted: “America has never been weaker. We have never had less influence.
“Not even our closest ally Britain, with a Trump soulmate in Downing Street, listens to us anymore.”
A number of MPs had also voiced their concerns, among them Tom Tugendhat, who warned that the UK would be “allowing the fox into the hen house”.
After the decision was announced, he tweeted: “Overall, this statement leaves many concerns and does not close the UK's networks to a frequently malign international actor.”
Ciaran Martin, the chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, said the limits on Huawei's involvement would ensure the UK had a “very strong, practical and technically sound framework for digital security in the years ahead”.
The implementation of 5G is expected to bring download speeds 10 times faster than 4G and is seen as critical to the country's economic future as it leaves the European Union.
Reporting by Sharon Marris
