The UK has published the security legislation that will enforce the ban on Huawei’s telecommunications equipment, and the new law brings significant penalties for non-compliance.
Under the Telecommunications Security Bill, telecom operators are prohibited from purchasing Huawei equipment from 2021 onward, and any existing Huawei gear must be fully removed from UK networks by 2027.
Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said:
“We are investing billions to roll out 5G and gigabit broadband across the country, but the benefits can only be realised if we have full confidence in the security and resilience of our networks.
This groundbreaking bill will give the UK one of the toughest telecoms security regimes in the world and allow us to take the action necessary to protect our networks.”
While the ban’s basic terms were known since July, the bill now clarifies how the rules will be enforced and what penalties operators will face for failing to meet the new standards.
Telecommunications providers who do not meet the heightened security requirements could be fined up to 10 percent of their global turnover, or more than £100,000 per day for severe or continued breaches. The communications regulator Ofcom will be responsible for monitoring compliance and applying sanctions where necessary.
Jimmy Jones, a cyber security and telecoms expert at Positive Technologies, commented on the wider implications:
“The uncertainty has meant mobile operators have already had to plan for the foreseeable future without Huawei and this just makes any reentry to the market even less likely for the company. What is really interesting here, is the law is establishing the operator’s security responsibility beyond the exclusion of certain vendors, to network security as a whole.
Governments and agencies around the globe have recognised the stakes are even higher for 5G, which promises to connect exponentially more devices and be the core infrastructure for connected cities. This makes the consequences of security vulnerabilities more dangerous than simply having your internet or phone service go down.”
The government resisted calls to bring forward the removal deadline to 2025, a move that would have accelerated the transition for operators. Last month Sweden announced a ban on Huawei and ZTE equipment with a 2025 deadline. In explaining that decision, Sweden’s regulator, the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, expressed concern about the potential influence of China’s one-party state over private companies and the risk that firms could be pressured to align with state goals and national strategies.
Into the ‘digital slow lane’?
Huawei executives have repeatedly warned that exclusion from the UK’s 5G rollout could push the country into a “digital slow lane.”
Responding to the Telecommunications Security Bill, Huawei Vice President Victor Zhang said:
“It’s disappointing that the government is looking to exclude Huawei from the 5G roll out. This decision is politically-motivated and not based on a fair evaluation of the risks.
It does not serve anyone’s best interests as it would move Britain into the digital slow lane and put at risk the Government’s levelling up agenda.”
A Huawei-sponsored report in October suggested that delays in the UK 5G rollout could put as much as a £108 billion economic boost at risk. The government’s own analysis has indicated the ban may lead to up to a three-year delay for parts of the 5G deployment.
Nonetheless, Huawei’s “digital slow lane” assertion has been challenged by industry leaders and many IT professionals. Earlier in the year, BT CEO Philip Jansen said:
“The security of our networks is an absolute priority for BT. Clearly, this decision has logistical and cost implications for communications providers in the UK market – however, we believe the timescales outlined will allow us to make these changes without impacting on the coverage or resilience of our existing networks.
It will also allow us to continue to rollout our 5G and full-fibre networks without a significant impact on the timescales we’ve previously announced.”
BT is not alone in expressing confidence. In surveys of IT professionals conducted earlier this year, a majority did not accept Huawei’s view that the ban would significantly harm the UK’s digital prospects or dramatically increase consumer bills. Dr Bill Mitchell OBE, Director of Policy at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, observed that many IT professionals view Huawei’s claim as overstated and that removing certain suppliers could improve national security.
Most respondents to those surveys believed that removing Huawei equipment from mobile and broadband networks would strengthen the UK’s security posture. At the same time, analysts recognise that excluding a major vendor will have measurable consequences: a recent study from Oxford Economics estimated that Huawei supports more than 220,000 jobs across Europe, highlighting the economic ties and employment impacts of a major supplier’s withdrawal.
The full effects of these policy decisions will only become clear over time. Multiple countries are moving toward similar restrictions, reflecting growing concern about supply chain security and trust in critical infrastructure. Policymakers balancing national security, economic cost, and rollout speed will need to monitor impacts closely as operators replace equipment and adapt their networks.
Dr Ian Levy, Technical Director at the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, emphasised the broader rationale behind the legislation: “The roll-out of 5G and gigabit broadband presents great opportunities for the UK, but as we benefit from these we need to improve security in our national networks and operators need to know what is expected of them.”
He added that the government is committed to raising security standards and that the Telecommunications Security Bill introduces requirements designed to help operators make better risk-management decisions and improve the resilience of national networks.
(Photo by Andrew Buchanan on Unsplash)
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