It’s expected that the UK government will decide whether or not to allow Huawei equipment in the country’s 5G networks tomorrow. The decision has been a long time coming and in recent weeks the U.S. has ramped up lobbying efforts to try to dissuade UK authorities from allowing the technology.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the National Security Council tomorrow at which a decision will be made; unfortunately, that decision will not be publicly declared immediately. In an interview, Johnson said that his government will come up with a solution that benefits consumers and maintains the country’s security. As Huawei’s hardware is cheaper for networks to install, Johnson’s comments probably mean that Huawei hardware will be allowed, but not in core parts of the 5G networks.
If the UK was to ban Huawei, then problems could crop up for the firms behind the UK’s 5G networks. Huawei has a long relationship with UK telecoms firms having worked with them for 15 years. Professor Alan Woodward from Surrey University told the BBC that the 5G connectivity that exists in the UK at the moment is dependent on Huawei infrastructure. A ban would see networks buy hardware from Ericsson and Nokia at a higher price point, which would be passed onto customers.
U.S. efforts to keep Huawei out of 5G networks around the world has only had limited success. Poland, back in September, agreed to make it more difficult for Huawei to be included in its 5G networks but Germany’s leader, Angela Merkel, has tried to resist U.S. demands.
Update: The UK government decided to partially allow Huawei hardware in the networks.
Source: BBC News
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