Deadline for UK telecoms to remove Huawei 5G kit relaxed
But the deadline to remove all Huawei equipment from Britain's 5G networks by the end of 2027 remains unchanged
The UK government has decided to give telecom operators some more time to remove Huawei 5G equipment from their networks "cores".
Operators now have until December 31, 2023, to remove Huawei 5G equipment from their network cores, where some of the most sensitive data is processed. Such equipment includes those used at phone mast sites and telephone exchanges.
Originally, the government had mandated that operators do so by January 28, 2023.
Meanwhile, the deadline for the companies to reduce the amount of Huawei equipment used in their fibre-broadband infrastructure to 35% has been moved back to the end of October 2023 from July 2023.
However, the deadline to remove all Huawei equipment from Britain's 5G networks by the end of 2027 remains unchanged.
The government has sent legal notices to 35 British telecoms network operators to officially implement the changes.
Britain chose to ban Huawei and some other vendors from its 5G networks in 2020 following pressure from the United States.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) conducted an emergency evaluation of Huawei immediately after the US placed sanctions on the Chinese behemoth, cutting it off from vital semiconductor supply.
The US authorities said that the use of Huawei's 5G equipment might put other nations at risk of having their data accessed by the Chinese government or of having vitally needed services disabled.
Huawei has always refuted the allegations and called the attempts to block it "politically motivated."
The Telecoms Security Act, a piece of legislation that made the ban official last year, required network operators like BT, Vodafone and Hutchison to switch to alternative suppliers and eventually remove Huawei hardware already present in their networks.
Telecoms firms were asked to remove Huawei 5G equipment from their core, and Huawei 4G equipment must also be removed in order to fulfil the order, the government said.
Some companies, however, said the order didn't give them enough time to remove the equipment from their infrastructure, which is an expensive process.
Operators said removing Huawei equipment may add up to £2 billion in additional expenses for all operators and cause the 5G deployment to be delayed by 2-3 years.
The only exception was O2, which decided to use 5G hardware from Nokia and Ericsson right from the start.
In June, BT asked for a postponement of the government's January 2023 deadline, claiming that delays brought on by Covid-19 lockdowns could make it difficult to meet the deadline.
Vodafone has already removed Huawei equipment from its core.
The government announced on Thursday that it is extending January 2023 deadline, citing the need to avoid unnecessary disruption in networks.
UK Digital Minister Michelle Donelan said new tough legislation now provide the government more control over the use of high-risk technology and increased protection for telecom infrastructure.
"We must have confidence in the security of our phone and internet networks, which underpin so much about our economy and everyday lives," she added.
Last month, the government issued new security rules - as part of the Telecommunications (Security) Act - for mobile and broadband providers to better secure UK networks from potential cyber attack.
Communications watchdog Ofcom will be in charge of supervising, monitoring and enforcing the new laws and code. It will have the authority to conduct inspections of telecom companies' facilities and systems to ensure they are abiding by their duties.
The regulator may impose financial penalties of up to 10% of sales or, in the instance of a persistent violation, £100,000 per day if firms fail to fulfil their obligations.