Huawei: UK prepares to change course on 5G kit supplier
That forced the UK's National Cyber Security Centre to launch a review to understand whether using alternative chips would reduce the level of assurance it could offer about Huawei's presence in the UK.
But the decision will be as much about geopolitics and domestic politics as it is about technicalities.Replacing Huawei's 5G equipment will often involve simultaneously swapping out its 4G base stations and antennasThe Coronavirus crisis - and Beijing's handling of it - have increased concerns about dependencies on China. And the growing tension over Hong Kong has heightened concerns about whether China is becoming more authoritarian.
But amid heavy lobbying from telecoms companies, which have warned of mobile coverage blackouts if they are forced to remove Huawei equipment fast, the government has been debating how quickly to move. A long lead time for Huawei kit to be removed of seven to 10 years would leave critics unhappy but cause less disruption.
Three to five years would placate them, but impose many more costs because of the need to rip out existing Huawei equipment, which is sometimes integrated with 4G and older equipment.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Huawei: Final decision expected on firm's involvement in the UK's 5G networkHuawei had been allowed to have a stake in the UK's network - but the government is under pressure to reverse the decision.
Read more »
Huawei 5G rethink expected amid warnings of 'close linkage' to China military'We should recognise that we've been duped' Chair of the Defence Select Committee Tobias_Ellwood says 'it's about time now that we stop rolling over' to China, adding 'it's time that we were stronger' Read more here:
Read more »
UK Huawei spat symptom of wider China tensionsFriction over 5G is one of many struggles China is facing with countries around the world.
Read more »
BT boss warns of outages and security risks if UK ditches HuaweiPhilip Jansen says it would be impossible to strip Huawei out of UK telecoms within 10 years
Read more »
Could Huawei be out of the UK by 2024?With the government set to announce its plans for the Chinese firm, rebel MPs are urging a total ban by 2024.
Read more »
BT: Impossible to ditch Huawei in under 10 yearsBT says it's 'impossible' to remove Huawei from UK's telecoms infrastructure before 2030 The UK government is expected to announce deadlines to stop using the Chinese firm's 5G equipment
Read more »