British officials advise limited role to Huawei in U.K. 5G network

British officials have formally granted Huawei a limited role in the future 5G network of the U.K., dismissing the U.S. calls to completely ban Huawei. The U.S. had earlier accused the company of spying on behalf of the Chinese government. 

Officials from security agencies and senior government department, at a recent meeting, proposed that Huawei equipment can be used restrictively without influencing national security. The meeting comes before a conference of the National Security Council of Britain planned for next week to discuss ways to deploy Huawei equipment.

The officials have recommended banning Huawei from a sensitive, data-heavy core part of the network and restricted government systems. A provisional decision made by former Prime Minister Theresa May was closely mirrored in the meeting.

As per reliable sources, the technical and policy guidance has observed no change, but now the matter is down to a political calculation. Britain is stuck in a geopolitical struggle over Huawei, which is the leading manufacturer and provider of mobile networking equipment.

London is required to manage its special relationship with the U.S. alongside significant trade relations with China. The ban on Huawei is expected to cost a huge amount to the U.K. along with the delay in launch of super-fast 5G connections.

However, the U.K. intelligence officials have condemned Huawei for lacking to address security flaws in its equipment. They have stated that no evidence has been found of state espionage and risks can be managed.

The company will be restricted from the core part of 5G infrastructure, which includes sensitive data consumers, but will be permitted for deployment of its equipment across other sections of the network.

The British government did not respond to an immediate request for comment.

Also, Huawei denied commenting on the matter. The company has been constantly denying accusations of spying.

Source links:

https://kfgo.com/news/articles/2020/jan/23/british-officials-propose-limited-5g-role-for-chinas-huawei-sources/977545/