UK PM Theresa May to ban Huawei from providing ‘core’ parts of Britain’s 5G network
- Britain’s National Security Council agreed to allow Huawei access to ‘non core’ parts of the 5G mobile infrastructure
- Officials in the United States and elsewhere have been increasingly public in voicing concerns that Huawei’s equipment could be used by Beijing for spying or sabotage
British Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered that Chinese telecoms supplier Huawei is to be banned from supplying core parts of the future 5G mobile phone network, following a meeting of ministers on the National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday.
Huawei will be allowed to supply some “non core” technology to British phone companies insiders said, but several ministers in the meeting raised concerns even about that concession, arguing instead for a total ban on the supplier.
The political decision risks agitating China and the company – which is privately owned – and comes amid growing concern in Britain , the US and elsewhere about whether the company’s technology poses a long-term security risk.
Britain’s intelligence agencies have taken a cautious approach to Huawei, but not called for a blanket ban.
Jeremy Fleming, the director of spy agency GCHQ, argued last month that the UK needs to understand “the opportunities and threats posed” by Chinese technology.
Other countries have taken a tougher stance. Chinese companies are banned from working on critical telecoms infrastructure in the United States. US Vice-President Mike Pence called on “all our security partners to be vigilant” in February.