UK enshrines Telecoms Act - the anti-Huawei bill - into law
Network operators who breach new rules could face penalties of up to 10 per cent of their turnover
The UK Telecommunications Act has received Royal Assent, giving the government new powers to strip out high-risk telecoms vendors - such as Huawei - from the UK ' s communication networks.
The government first introduced the legislation in November 2020, saying it would strengthen the UK's telecommunication security and provide protection against the threat of high-risk equipment suppliers, mainly those from China.
'The Bill will strengthen the security framework for technology used in 5G and full fibre networks including the electronic equipment and software at phone mast sites and in telephone exchanges which handle internet traffic and telephone calls,' the government said at the time.
Julia Lopez, minister for media, data and digital infrastructure, described the bill as "a major step forward in protecting our internet traffic and the millions of calls we make every day.
"Risks to our telecoms networks can never be completely prevented, but we have raised security standards across the board."
The new law will define legal duties for telecoms firms, while giving the Government the power to designate suppliers as high-risk and to decide how and when their equipment can be used in networks.
Operators found to be in breach of the new rules could face penalties of up to 10 per cent of their turnover, or £100,000 per day in case of a continuing violation.
Some of operators' possible security requirements, as listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, include:
- Securely design, build and maintain sensitive equipment in the core of providers' networks which controls how they are managed;
- Reduce the risks that equipment supplied by third parties in the telecoms supply chain is unreliable or could be used to facilitate cyber attacks;
- Carefully control who has permission to access sensitive core network equipment on site as well as the software that manages networks;
- Make sure they are able to carry out security audits and put governance in place to understand the risks facing their public networks and services; and
Under the new law, telecoms regulator Ofcom will have the responsibility to monitor and assess network operators' security. Officials will also be able to conduct on-site inspections at operators' premises, to ensure they are taking all appropriate steps to protect their networks and the people who use them.
In July 2020, the government announced new controls on the use of Huawei 5G equipment in the UK telecommunication networks, following advice from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
A ban on the purchase of new Huawei equipment from January 2021 was announced, and telecom companies were directed to remove all existing Huawei 5G equipment by 2027.
The officials said that US sanctions were impacting the Huawei supply chain, and it was becoming difficult to verify the security of Huawei's equipment.
The US has long accused Huawei of aiding spying efforts by the Chinese government. It asserts that Huawei is controlled by the Chinese government, and that its equipment could be used to spy on Western countries.
In October last year, a report by the House of Commons' Defence Committee also said there was clear evidence of collusion between Huawei and Beijing.
The report accused Beijing of exerting pressure on the UK government to retain Huawei through both "covert and overt threats," and recommended the government to consider the removal of all Huawei equipment from its 5G networks earlier than planned.
Huawei expressed its disappointment with the decision to exclude it from the roll-out of 5G.
Last year, the government announced plans to spend £250 million over next few years to diversify its 5G supply chain and to help carriers remove Huawei 5G equipment from their mobile networks.
The new investment would include spending on 5G diversification, local fibre networks and Shared Rural Network 4G initiatives.