British Internet service providers (ISPs) and other companies building a 5G network will no longer be allowed to use Huawei network equipment to do so from September 2021. From April, providers will no longer be allowed to outsource service on 5G networks to the Chinese technology company. And from 2027, all Huawei equipment must be replaced. This was decided by the British government on Sunday evening, Bloomberg news agency reports.
Last summer, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided to stop involving Huawei in building a nationwide 5G network. The company reportedly has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the military and is allegedly guilty of economic and political espionage.
This relationship and alleged eavesdropping puts the national security and privacy of British citizens at risk. And the government wants to prevent that at all costs. "To keep our network as secure as possible, telecom companies must stop using Huawei equipment while building the new 5G network," Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Minister Oliver Dowden explained the decision in the House of Commons in July.
A Huawei spokesman reacted with disappointment to the British government's decision. He called the decision "bad news for everyone in the UK with a cell phone." "Unfortunately, our future in the UK has been politicized. This is about American trade policy and not security," the spokesman said. His statement referred to the rumor that President Trump had pressured the British prime minister to distance himself from Huawei.
The Johnson government is now taking the first concrete steps to keep Huawei out of the UK's 5G network. From April next year, providers will no longer be allowed to outsource network maintenance contracts to Huawei, with exceptions. And from September, there will be a ban on the use of Huawei network equipment by ISPs and other companies.
With these steps, the government aims to gradually ban all Huawei equipment from Britain's communications network. By 2027, the network equipment must be replaced with that of Western companies, including Nokia and Ericsson. To achieve this, Johnson has set aside a sum of 250 million pounds, or about 280 million euros.
Huawei has not responded to the United Kingdom's actions. What is undeniable is that the decision will not go down well with the Chinese government. Relations between the United Kingdom and China have been strained for some time. This obviously has to do with the allegations of spying and the decision to stop doing business with Huawei.
There is another obvious reason why the United Kingdom and China are not on good terms right now. It has everything to do with the security law that China introduced in Hong Kong last June. This states that China has the right to arrest and try Hong Kong terrorist suspects, dissidents and conspirators against the Chinese government. Opponents fear that by doing so, China wants to silence the opposition and consolidate its control in the country.
Prime Minister Johnson was unsympathetic to the security bill, saying it affects Hong Kong's "freedoms and autonomy." Hong Kong residents born and raised there before 1997 may apply for a British passport. This gives them British citizenship and allows them to move to the United Kingdom. China was not amused by this and said it should mind its own internal affairs.
The British government does not fear words. According to anonymous sources, the United Kingdom is on high alert for cyber attacks from China and is taking into account a "Cyber 9/11. Whether additional cyber attacks will actually occur is difficult to predict, but the government must be prepared for them, according to the full Parliament. "Our national infrastructure must be able to repel such attacks," Conor McGinn, minister of security in the shadow cabinet, said this summer.
The UK is not the only country deeply concerned about possible spying by Huawei. The US and India have also already taken steps to keep Huawei out of their 5G networks. Here in Europe, too, there are voices calling for Huawei not to be involved in the construction of 5G. Germany has indicated not to exclude any party in advance. And in France, the government is also cautious about giving Huawei too big a finger in the pie.
Our country has decided not to involve Huawei in the construction of 5G in the vital sector and critical infrastructure. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) published a draft version of a document to better protect the communication networks of Dutch providers. The ministry listed a total of 19 organizational and technical security measures to make that happen.
