Britain has banned Huawei from its 5G network, reversing an earlier decision to allow the Chinese company to work on the critical telecoms infrastructure.
The UK’s digital and culture secretary Oliver Dowden on Tuesday announced an “irreversible path for the complete removal of Huawei equipment from our 5G networks” and said the Chinese company’s role in historic networks would also be reviewed.
Dowden admitted the move would set back efforts to establish 5G in Britain by up to three years and cost the telecoms industry billions. However, he defended the move by citing national security concerns.
“This has not been an easy decision but it is the right one for the UK’s telecoms networks, for our national security and our economy – both now and in the long run,” Dowden said in a statement to parliament.
UK telecoms companies will be banned from buying any new Huawei 5G equipment from the end of the year. Telecoms companies must also remove all Huawei equipment already installed in the network by 2027.
“The best way to secure our networks is for operators to stop using new affected Huawei equipment to build the UK’s future 5G network,” Dowden said.
“To be clear, from the end of this year telecoms operators must not buy any 5G equipment from Huawei and once the telecoms security bill is passed it will be illegal for them to do so.”
