Huawei urges Johnson to not rush into 5G decision, says it could impact Britain's future

Chinese telecom giant Huawei on July 8 urged Britain to not rush into taking the decision to phase out its equipment for UK’s 5G networks due to US sanction. This comes days after British lawmaker Matt Hancock said that ‘there were a number of conditions that needed to be met’ in order to ensure Huawei’s participation.

In February, US President Donald Trump blocked Huawei’s access to US chips and semiconductors at the heart of 5G networks. The British government, meanwhile, allowed Huawei to roll out up to 35 per cent of Britain's 5G network under the condition that it stays out of "core" elements dealing with personal data. However, according to latest media reports, Johnson’s government was now planning to phase out the telecom giant in the coming six months.

Recently, Huawei vice-president Victor Zhang asserted that the long-term impact of the US sanctions will take months to fully understand. Speaking at a conference call, he urged the UK government to “take more time”. He also said that there was a long term impact of the decision which would take months to understand.

Read: UK PM Set To Phase Out Huawei From Britain's 5G Infrastructure: Report

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Zhang said any decision to simply cut Huawei out of the speedy new network's development could delay nationwide 5G access for up to 18 months estimated that the delay would cost the UK economy £29 billion. Calling the decision, important, he said that the decision could impact the future of Britain’s digital strategy and the digital economy.  

Johnson to phase out Huawei

Recently, media reports emerged that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided to phase out the use of Huawei in country’s 5G network in as little as six months. According to a report prepared by the country’s spy agency GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, the new US sanctions on Huawei will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control. 

Read: UK Minister Says Huawei Needs To Meet 'certain Conditions' To Be Involved In 5G Network

Read: 'Nation Has A Right To Keep Its Data Safe': CAIT Advocates Banning Huawei From 5G Roll-out