The United Kingdom (UK) government has dealt Chinese multinational technology group, Huawei, a blow after it said all the company’s equipment will be removed from the country’s 5G networks by end of 2027.
The UK further said telecoms firms will be banned from purchasing new 5G equipment from Huawei from January next year.
Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said in a statement to the House of Commons, that the decision followed new advice produced by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on the impact of US sanctions against Huawei.
“By the time of the next election we will have implemented in law an irreversible path for the complete removal of Huawei equipment from our 5G networks,” the statement read.
“Following US sanctions against Huawei and updated technical advice from our cyber experts, the government has decided it is necessary to ban Huawei from our 5G networks. No new kit is to be added from January 2021, and UK 5G networks will be Huawei free by the end of 2027. This decisive move provides the industry with the clarity and certainty it needs to get on with delivering 5G across the UK,” the statement went on to say.
In January, before the tough restrictions imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration, Huawei had been allowed to play a limited role in the 5G network despite concerns that it was a “high risk” vendor because of its links to the Chinese government.
