United Kingdom wants to remove Huawei equipment from telecom networks

The United Kingdom plans to ban the use of Huawei equipment for telecom networks in the long term. The government wants all Huawei equipment at the telecom providers to be replaced by other brands from 2023.

That reports The Financial Times, based on government officials with whom the newspaper has spoken. The British Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, would like to ban Huawei from the United Kingdom’s telecom networks. This applies to existing networks, but also to the 5G networks that are being built by the telecom providers. Johnson has also given instructions to prepare legislation to ensure that Huawei equipment can no longer be used for telecom networks from 2023, according to The Financial Times.

Earlier this year, the British government said it wanted to allow Huawei equipment, as long as it would not be used for the core network. That decision was against the wishes of the United States; instead, it lobbied not to allow Huawei equipment at all. According to government sources, Johnson would object to the earlier decision, which was taken under predecessor Theresa May.

A government official also said the “changed situation” is a reason to review the use of Huawei equipment. This refers to the outbreak of the corona virus, which started in China. Many countries have criticized China for a lack of transparency in investigating the origin of the outbreak.

The Financial Times also reports having spoken with the telecom industry; sources say they are concerned if Huawei equipment may no longer be used for the network by 2023. Providers would not have enough time to replace the network equipment.