UK to grant Huawei access to 5G network - Report

By Staff Writer | 29 Oct 2019 at 19:44hrs
Huawei
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is preparing to allow 5G network access to Huawei, according to a report by the UK's Sunday Times.

The publication cited senior government and security sources, who said that the UK aims to give Huawei access to "non-contentious" parts of its 5G network.

The plan follows on Theresa May's decision to permit Huawei to supply telecoms equipment like antennas to the country, a move which sparked controversy and lead to the axing of defence secretary Gavin Williamson.

Huawei boycott

The move will likely not bode well for the country's relations with the US, which is actively lobbying for the banning of Huawei's products and network infrastructure due to what it deems to be national security risks.

China's 2017 National Intelligence Law and 2014 Counter-Espionage Law dictate that the Communist Party may demand data from any of the country's companies, which could supposedly expose countries in which Huawei operates to back-end surveillance.

Huawei has stated that it would decline any request for data from Beijing.

In a reaction on Twitter, Conservative Party MP Tom Tugendhat criticized Johnson's decision.

"Allowing Huawei to run the UK's 5G network is a staggeringly bad idea. Nesting a dragon in our central nervous system will cost us for decades and leave us hostage to a hostile state," Tugendhat said.

Several UK companies have already started rolling out 5G networks that use Huawei equipment.

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