The UK’s renewed crackdown on Huawei may be faltering amid concerns about the practicalities of an outright ban on the company’s equipment.
It emerged over the weekend that Downing Street was drawing up plans to entirely remove the company’s telecoms equipment from British networks by 2023.
But the proposed move, leaked as the government faces pressure from the US and a potential backbench rebellion over the issue, may now be watered down.
One source told the Times that ministers are considering preventing network operators from procuring Huawei equipment from 2023, rather than forcing them to rip out and replace their existing Huawei kit entirely. It is feared that an outright ban would mean BT would have overhaul its fibre optic network.
The latest proposed restrictions may also prohibit telcos from using Huawei equipment solely in their 5G networks. But such a move may be difficult to implement, given that the next-generation networks will in many cases rely on the existing 4G infrastructure, which is supported partly by Huawei, and different vendors’ equipment is not always compatible.
Under the existing plans, announced in January, network operators will be forced to remove Huawei kit from the network cores, sometimes referred to as the brains of the networks. Huawei would also be allowed no more than 35 per cent market share in any network, in an effort to reduce dependence on the company.
As reports of a ban emerged over the weekend, the government confirmed that the National Cyber Security Centre had been tasked with investigating the impact of fresh US trade restriction on Huawei and the safety of its network. Some fear that the company may be forced to turn to less secure non-US component suppliers.
The government is facing mounting pressure from its own MPs over the issue, while the Trump administration is continuing to exert pressure on Downing Street to drop its support for the company.
The saga’s latest turn comes at a difficult time for the company. A Canadian court ruled this week that a case again Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive and the daughter of its founder Ren Zhengfei, could go ahead. A judge said the charges would be illegal in both the US and Canada, potentially clearing the way for Meng’s extradition.
Responding to the initial reports of a possible ban, Huawei vice president Victor Zhang said in a statement: “We’ve seen the reports from unnamed sources which simply don’t make sense. The government decided in January to approve our part in the 5G rollout, because Britain needs the best possible technologies, more choice, innovation and more suppliers, all of which means more secure and more resilient networks.”
In remarks issued after the news of NCSC’s investigation, Zhang added: “Our priority remains to continue the rollout of reliable and secure 5G networks across Britain. We are happy to discuss with NCSC any concerns they may have and hope to continue the close working relationship we have enjoyed for the last ten years.”
A spokesperson for the government said: “The security and resilience of our networks is of paramount importance. Following the US announcement of additional sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC is looking carefully at any impact they could have to the UK’s networks.”
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