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

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Huawei Technologies 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 equipment from the Chinese company to form part of advanced 5G mobile networks. Photo: Agence France-Presse

Published: 8:13pm, 14 Jan 2020Updated: 6:39pm, 16 Feb 2020

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.

Senior US officials visited London on Monday with a last-ditch plea that the UK should bar Huawei from providing their 5G kit, warning again that intelligence-sharing could be at risk.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains adamant about the country using the best possible mobile network technology for its 5G infrastructure. Photo: Reuters

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.