Boris Johnson hints he won’t ban Huawei from UK’s 5G networks
- Supporters argue that Huawei’s equipment can be used in noncore areas in a way that keeps the UK’s mobile networks secure
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested his government may be ready to allow Huawei Technologies to supply at least some equipment for its 5G mobile networks even in the face of strong pressure for a ban from the United States.
“The British public deserve to have access to the best possible technology,” Johnson said when asked about Huawei in a BBC TV interview on Tuesday. “We want to put in gigabit broadband for everybody. If people oppose one brand or another, then they have to tell us what’s the alternative.”
The UK for months has been debating how much, if any, access to grant Huawei to its 5G mobile market in the future amid the suggestion the US may be more wary of sharing intelligence if the country uses Chinese equipment.
Supporters argue that Huawei’s equipment can be used in noncore areas in a way that keeps the UK’s mobile networks secure. But the US warns that the effects of the leap to 5G technology are so poorly understood that the safest and best solution is to keep the Chinese company out altogether.
The US delegation, led by Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger and including officials from the State Department, argued that there was no way the UK could mitigate the security risks from such a network, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Johnson on Monday showed he is cognisant of the US concerns.
“Let’s be clear, I don’t want as UK prime minister, to put in any infrastructure that is going to prejudice our national security or our ability to cooperate with ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence partners,” he said, a reference to the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
As some Huawei gear has already been installed, companies warn that a full ban would delay the roll-out of 5G and cost hundreds of millions of pounds. It would also potentially put into doubt Johnson’s pledge to deliver 5G to most of the country by 2027.
UK newspapers reported on Monday that Pottinger’s team had handed Johnson’s government a “dossier” of evidence against Huawei.
But it may not impress. Speaking in September on condition of anonymity, British intelligence officers said there was nothing the US knew about the company that Britain did not. Andrew Parker, the head of the domestic security service MI5, told the Financial Times this month that he had “no reason” to believe intelligence-sharing with the US would be harmed by a decision to allow Huawei in.
Johnson’s spokesman on Monday told reporters that a decision would come “in due course”. The US believes that with the general election out of the way, it is imminent.
The road to a UK decision has been long and controversial. Some officials have pushed for tough restrictions as a result of concerns over foreign involvement in critical national infrastructure, while others said this would saddle the telecommunications industry with extra costs and delay technological upgrades.
Proposed bill bans US from sharing info with countries using Huawei 5G
The next-generation 5G wireless technology promises speeds as much as 100 times faster than current 4G networks, potentially unlocking new technologies, including automated factories.
Huawei has become a lightning rod for tensions between the US and Europe over trade and security policy, as Washington threatens reprisals against any governments that allow Chinese equipment to form part of the crucial ultra-fast mobile networks.
Of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing nations, New Zealand, Australia and the US have effectively banned the company, while Canada and the UK have not so far followed suit.