Huawei has been cleared to play a part in forming the UK’s 5G network and the UK government might actually stand up to its American overlords.
A meeting of government officials yesterday concluded that a “limited role” for the vendor would not pose a threat to the UK’s cybersecurity. The UK’s National Security Council will meet next week to decide if and how Huawei’s technology is used.
The government has been under pressure for the US to snub Huawei in the 5G rollout claiming it is all about spying when it is more likely to be about its trade war. The US claims that Huawei’s close ties to the Chinese government could facilitate espionage, which Huawei has consistently denied and the US has so far never come up with any evidence.
Earlier this month the US government reportedly told the UK that allowing Huawei’s equipment into the 5G network would be “nothing short of madness”.
But the UK government views Huawei’s technology as more advanced than that of its competitors such as Ericsson and Nokia – a view that has also been pushed by network providers BT and Vodafone.
