Britain issues ban on new Huawei 5G kit installation

Britain issues ban on new Huawei 5G kit installation

The British government announced that British tech firms would not be allowed to install new Huawei 5G kits after September next year. The announcement is part of the plan to remove the Chinese firm’s equipment from high-speed networks.

Britain already ordered for all Huawei equipment to be removed from its 5G network by the end of 2027. British allies, including the United States, say that the firm is a threat to national security, which prompted the move.

China did not like the decision and criticized it. Huawei said that it is disappointed by Britain’s decision to exclude it from the rollout of 5G.

Related: To stop China’s world domination, Huawei has to die

A clear path will be charted

There is also the matter of the new laws that could impose fines of up to 100,000 pounds to those who break the Huawei ban. Today’s announcement comes ahead of a debate about telecoms legislation in parliament and elaborates the plan for equipment removal.

Oliver Dowden, the digital minister, said that he is setting out a clear path that will remove all high-risk vendors from the British network.

He continued to say that all of the plans will be carried out using unprecedented powers that identify and ban telecom equipment seen as a threat to national security.

Britain looks elsewhere

The British government also announced a new plan to diversify its 5G supply chain, with an initial investment of 250 million pounds, collaborations with Japanese firm NEC, and the establishment of new research facilities.

Britain already banned the purchase of new Huawei 5G kits after the end of this year. The government also said that the decision made in July was related to US sanctions on chip technology that could impact the supply chain.

Huawei expressed its disappointment that the US was doing this as part of a trade policy instead of security.