Government could ask mobile carriers not to add any new Huawei equipment to 5G networks from January

More details have emerged of the government's plan to bar Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei from Britain's next generation mobile networks.

According to Bloomberg, the government is currently mulling a two-step plan that will prevent UK's mobile carriers from adding any new Huawei equipment to their 5G networks by the end of the year.

A person with knowledge of the matter also told the news agency that the government will also direct mobile carriers to remove all existing Huawei equipment from their 5G networks by 2027.

A proposal will be presented to Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) today.

Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, is expected to announce the decision in the House of Commons later in the day.

"We're delighted the government has listened to us and will start stripping Huawei out right now," Bob Seely, a Tory MP told Bloomberg.

"However, there are a number of colleagues who may seek to amend the 2027 date. They may use the government's 2027 date as a starting point to remove Huawei entirely from the networks and seek to make it sooner."

After long delays, the government announced earlier this year that it would allow Huawei to build 35 per cent of the UK's next generation of internet infrastructure - a decision that eventually led to a rebellion on Conservative Party's own benches.

On Monday, a letter signed by ten of the rebel Tory MPs - who claim to be 60 in total - warned the Prime Minister that their support for a planned telecoms security bill was "predicated on ending altogether the role for high-risk vendors" such as Huawei.

The signatories, who include the ex-cabinet minister David Davis and former party leader Iain Duncan Smith, also said that they want Huawei to be ripped-out of across 5G and all other networks without unreasonable delay.

In May the US government also announced new measures to limit Huawei's ability to use US software and technology that the Chinese firm needs to make 5G equipment and advanced smartphones. The move forced British officials to review the sustainability and security aspects of using the Huawei equipment in UK's 5G networks.

A review by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) concluded that the new sanctions would force Huawei to use potentially insecure technology, making 5G security risks impossible to control.

The NCSC also reportedly directed British mobile carriers to stockpile networking gears sold by Huawei in the wake of US trade sanctions.

The Chinese government is definitely not happy with the idea of Huawei being banned in the UK.

Last week, Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to London, warned British lawmakers that eliminating Huawei from UK's infrastructure would send a "very bad message" to Chinese firms and investors.

On Monday, a report released by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research also warned that UK's GDP could decline by up to 0.75 per cent if a ban on Huawei results in a wider trade conflict with China.

The report states that Beijing could respond by announcing restrictions against Britain, which would eventually affect GDP, increase inflation, and make interest rates go up.

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• Topics
• Government
• Huawei
• Boris Johnson
• National Security Council
• Oliver Dowden
• House of Commons
• Bob Seely
• Conservative Party