Johnson refuses to ban Huawei from 5G

Johnson refuses to ban Huawei from 5G

LONDON--Prime Minister Boris Johnson granted Huawei a limited role in Britain's 5G mobile network on Tuesday, frustrating a global attempt by the United States to exclude the Chinese telecoms giant from the West's next-generation communications.


  Defying Britain's closest ally in favour of China on the eve of Brexit, Johnson ruled that "high-risk vendors" such as Huawei would be allowed into the non-sensitive parts of the 5G network. Whilst such high-risk companies' involvement will be capped at 35%, they will be excluded from the sensitive core, where data is processed, and they will be banned from all critical networks and locations such as nuclear sites and military bases.
  Such an explicit rejection of U.S. concerns that Huawei could be used to steal Western secrets was welcomed by the Chinese firm, founded in 1987 by a former People's Liberation Army engineer, but dismayed the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
  Johnson and Trump spoke by phone shortly after the decision was made public. "The Prime Minister underlined the importance of like-minded countries working together to diversify the market and break the dominance of a small number of companies," the British government said in a statement.
  Speaking before the call, a Trump administration official said: "There is no safe option for untrusted vendors to control any part of a 5G network. We look forward to working with the UK on a way forward that results in the exclusion of untrusted vendor components from 5G networks."
  U.S. congressional leaders widely criticized Britain's decision, with powerful Republican Senator Lindsey Graham saying it could "greatly complicate" drawing up a new trade agreement after Britain exits the European Union on Jan. 31.
  A British official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said excluding Huawei would have delayed 5G and cost consumers more, echoing warnings from the telecoms industry. 5G's much faster data speeds and increased capacity will make it the foundation stone of many industries and a driver of economic growth.
  In what some have compared to the Cold War antagonism with the Soviet Union, the United States is worried that 5G dominance is a milestone towards Chinese technological supremacy that could define the geopolitics of the 21st century. But as a critical centre for Chinese investment, trading and banking in Europe, Britain sided with Beijing, in one of the biggest public breaks with Washington in decades.
  "I fear London has freed itself from Brussels only to cede sovereignty to Beijing," said Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, adding there should be a review of intelligence sharing with Britain.
  Canada, which has yet to decide whether to allow the use of Huawei 5G technology, said it was studying Britain's decision.
  The United States had repeatedly warned London against allowing Huawei into 5G, arguing the distinction between "edge" and "core" will blur as data is processed throughout 5G networks, making it difficult to contain any security risks. "If Huawei is allowed into any part of your network, it is allowed into every part of your network," said Tim Morrison, who until recently was a senior director at the White House's National Security Council.
  Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecoms equipment, has said the United States wants to frustrate its growth because no U.S. company could offer the same range of technology at a competitive price. "This evidence-based decision will result in a more advanced, more secure and more cost-effective telecoms infrastructure that's fit for the future," Huawei's vice president Victor Zhang told reporters.
  The only other large-scale telecoms equipment suppliers are Sweden's Ericsson and Finland's Nokia.
  Huawei has invested heavily to achieve market leadership, despite being excluded from U.S. networks. Zhang said it spent $15 billion last year on research. In 2018, it committed to invest 3 billion pounds in Britain, a country Huawei views as a global innovation hub and strategic location, Zhang said.

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