Boris Johnson Defies Trump By Giving Huawei Limited Role In UK’s 5G Networks
Boris Johnson has approved plans to allow Chinese telecoms firm Huawei a role in building the UK’s 5G phone and data network.
Despite huge pressure from Donald Trump to ban the company amid spying fears, the British government’s National Security Council decided Tuesday to give it limited access to the new hi-tech infrastructure.
In an effort to contain a row with the White House, the UK has come up with a compromise where Huawei will have a 35% cap on its market share in the new technology.
Washington has repeatedly warned that the Beijing-based firm poses a security risk and any access to Britain’s 5G would put in jeopardy U.S.-UK intelligence sharing — and possibly any post-Brexit trade deal.
But Britain’s most senior intelligence officials believe that they can manage any risk posed by Huawei, which has played a role in the UK’s 3G and 4G networks for more than a decade.
MI5 chief Sir Andrew Parker and GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre have advised ministers that there will be no extra threat if Huawei’s role is restricted to non-core parts of Britain’s new mobile network.
Non-core equipment refers to the antennas and base stations that sit on masts and rooftops, considered less vulnerable than the core servers and systems where customer information is processed.
With only two other companies, Sony Ericsson and Nokia, able to provide the necessary equipment and expertise for 5G in the UK, senior government insiders believe that excluding Huawei would cost billions more and impose serious delays on the technology rollout.
Ciaran Martin, the chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, said: “This package will ensure that the UK has a very strong, practical and technically sound framework for digital security in the years ahead.
“The National Cyber Security Centre has issued advice to telecoms network operators to help with the industry rollout of 5G and full fibre networks in line with the government’s...
