United Kingdom mobile operators plan to warn the British government that a ban on Chinese telecommunications company Huawei would jeopardize the UK’s role as a leader in mobile connectivity. Several operators reportedly plan to send a letter to Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill asking the government to urgently clarify whether it intends to allow Huawei to bid for 5G contracts in Britain, according to the BBC
On top of this, China’s ambassador to London also warned the British government that if Huawei is blocked from developing 5G networks then it will hurt Chinese trade and investment relationship with the United Kingdom. “It will send a very bad message not only to Huawei but also to Chinese businesses,” Ambassador Liu Xiaoming told the BBC. He added blocking Huawei would lead to “bad effects not only on trade but also on investment.”
What’s been done to improve the Huawei situation?
Britain’s National Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May, met to discuss Huawei in April and a decision was made to block Huawei from all core parts of the 5G network but to give it restricted access to non-core parts.
A final decision by the British cabinet of senior ministers was due to have happened in recent weeks but May’s pledge to step down as prime minister has stalled the process, sources said. She is expected to be out of office by the end of July.
Until then, all we can really do is wait for an ultimatum. The company insists that it poses no security threat to any of its customers. Huawei says suggestions to the contrary are a smokescreen for frustrating China’s attempts to emerge as a leading designer and provider of high tech equipment, rather than assembling the nuts and bolts of technology designed in the US and Europe.
