The UK has proposed to allow Huawei to play a minimal role in the country’s future 5G network defying Washington’s request to fully ban the technology giant, media reports said. Huawei will not be involved in the core aspects of the country’s 5G network on the grounds of security concerns.
The UK’s core 5G infrastructure will hold sensitive customers’ data. The technology giant will be allowed to deploy its equipment across other parts of the 5G network.
According to media reports, the British government is already using Huawei equipment. A source told the media that, “The technical and policy guidance hasn’t changed. Now it is down to a political calculation.”
The UK’s largest telecom operators BT and Vodafone have opposed the idea of a full ban on Huawei. In fact, Vodafone uses Huawei in select parts of its network. Last year, the telecom giant decided to stall Huawei’s deployment in its core 5G network until it receives a complete security clearance from Western governments
Even BT uses Huawei equipment in networks away from the core. However, it excluded the Chinese technology giant from its 5G bidding process in the future.
According to the industry, the UK might flag Huawei as a high risk vendor and impose further restrictions, such as limiting its market value. The final decision on the matter will be made during the National Security Council next week. Speculation is that former British Prime Minister Theresa May had approved Huawei to be a part of the country’s non-core 5G infrastructure.