LONDON – UK to decide on Huawei 5G. Britain will announce next week whether to allow China’s Huawei to develop its 5G network in the UK.
According to a government official, the decision will be made next week. It will also set out reasons for agreeing despite US opposition. Finally, UK to decide on Huawei 5G. The official said the decision had not yet been taken but it was likely to be next week. There had been speculation that Britain would allow Huawei into “non-core” elements of the next-generation 5G mobile networks, such as antennae and base stations attached to masts and roofs.
The United States has banned Huawei from the rollout of its 5G network because of concerns that the firm could be under the control of Beijing. It has been lobbying Britain to do the same, even threatening to limit intelligence sharing between the two allies if the UK goes its own way.
Banning Huawei entirely could also cost “billions” of pounds and delay the rollout of 5G and full-fibre broadband, the official said. There is also a problem in that few other firms have the technology that Huawei does. Huawei provides the least expensive and most advanced alternative for super-fast data transfers. It is behind technologies such as self-driving cars and remotely operated factory robots.
Britain’s debate about Huawei has dragged on for more than a year. Same goes for intense political turmoil over its exit from the European Union. The deadline for Brexit is now set for January 31.