British officials are reportedly set to approve limited use of Huawei equipment in the country’s 5G networks despite concerns led by the United States.
According to Reuters, senior government departments met on Wednesday and recommended permitting the Chinese vendor to participate in a restricted capacity within national 5G infrastructure.
A total ban on Huawei gear would be costly. Last year, Telecoms reported that all major UK operators had already started deploying Huawei 5G equipment. Operators would face substantial expenses to remove existing hardware, buy often more expensive alternatives, and install replacements.
That process would be expensive not only for individual operators but also for the broader UK economy. Delays to the 5G rollout could push the UK—currently among Europe’s leaders in 5G deployment—behind other countries. Businesses and consumers would lose timely access to the opportunities 5G brings across industries, potentially reducing investment and competitiveness.
Andrew Stark, cybersecurity director at Red Mosquito, commented:
“With Huawei kit already integral to the UK’s 3G and 4G networks, shifting to 5G with them offers the path of least resistance and increases chances of telecom companies meeting tight roll-out targets. There are currently only two other tech players capable of providing hardware for 5G, namely Nokia and Ericsson.”
National security remains a primary concern, and British officials have consistently stated that any decision about Huawei will be based on evidence.
The Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) in Banbury publishes annual reports on the vendor’s equipment in UK networks. HCSEC reported that, up until 2018, it was able to provide assurance that the risks posed by Huawei’s equipment could be mitigated.
However, HCSEC later highlighted problems. One report noted that shortcomings in Huawei’s engineering processes had exposed new risks and created long-term challenges for mitigation and management within UK telecommunications networks.
A follow-up HCSEC report in March 2019 criticized Huawei for being slow to address concerns and said “no material progress has been made by Huawei in the remediation of the issues.” The report also identified additional technical faults that posed fresh risks to UK networks.
Conservative MP Bob Seely warned that Huawei is, “to all intents and purposes,” part of the Chinese state, arguing that involving the company could allow Chinese agencies access to the UK’s networks.
US officials provided Downing Street with a dossier earlier this month assessing the risks they associate with Huawei. The United States maintains that Huawei is under Beijing’s control, an allegation the company denies.
Not all security assessments are publicly released for obvious reasons, but available signals indicate British security officials believe any risks from using Huawei telecom equipment can be managed. The current position appears to favor allowing Huawei components in parts of 5G networks that do not carry heavy data traffic.
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