Boris Johnson expected to back Huawei for Britain’s 5G network, but there are limits
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson says security interests can be protected
- Decision due three days before departure from the European Union, with pressure from US for a complete ban on the Chinese telecoms giant
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to give Huawei Technologies the green light for a limited role in the country’s 5G network development, despite objections from his own parliamentary party.
Johnson was due to meet senior government ministers on the National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday to decide whether to ban or restrict the use of equipment made by Huawei in the next-generation mobile network.
It is widely expected the British government will restrict Huawei’s involvement to only the “noncore” part of the 5G network infrastructure, making the Chinese tech giant unable to access sensitive data to be handled by the networks.
The decision will be made three days before Britain’s departure from the European Union, amid US pressure on London to impose a complete ban on Huawei.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has previously said “only nations able to protect their data will be sovereign”, is due to meet Johnson when he visits London on Wednesday and Thursday.
The British decision will be closely watched in Europe, most notably by Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel is similarly stuck between business support for Huawei and her party’s objections in the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament.