Huawei: Boris Johnson suggests UK will comply with US stance
It follows assertions from America that the use of Huawei equipment would cause it to reassess intelligence sharing relationships.
Thursday 5 December 2019 09:39, UK
Boris Johnson has suggested that the UK will comply with the American stance on banning Huawei equipment within the country's 5G network.
Senior officials in Washington have repeatedly stated the country would reassess intelligence sharing with the UK if was allowed any role at all in Britain's 5G infrastructure.
Speaking at this week's NATO summit, Mr Johnson acknowledged that the "key criterion" regarding the company was whether use of its technology would impact the UK's intelligence sharing partnerships.
"I don't want this country to be unnecessarily hostile to investment from overseas but, on the other hand, we cannot prejudice our vital national security interests," Mr Johnson said, according to the Financial Times.
A decision on what role if any the Chinese company's equipment could play in the UK's 5G infrastructure has been delayed a number of times by the British government.
Suggestions that it could be used in non-core parts of the network such as radio antennas while being kept out of the most critical data handling parts have been floated.
However part of the generational advantage of 5G is that it blurs the distinctions between "core" and "non-core" elements of the network, with even elements towards the edge being able to provide some critical functionality.
US deputy assistant secretary for cyber security Robert Strayer has stated unequivocally that "any country that deploys Huawei equipment in any part of its 5th generation infrastructure" would be reappraised as an intelligence partner.
As the government has delayed its decision on Huawei amid leadership and parliamentary battles, the UK's largest four mobile networks have already begun to include its equipment in their 5G networks.
They have argued that banning the company would have a damaging impact on the development of UK's 5G network and provide an economic disadvantage by delaying uptake of the new technology.
During the Conservative Party's leadership contest in July, the Intelligence and Security Committee called for the next prime minister to quickly make a decision on 's role in the UK's 5G infrastructure.
It followed a report from the Science and Technology Committee which claimed there were "no technical grounds for excluding Huawei entirely from the UK's 5G or other telecommunications networks".
"We feel there may well be geopolitical or ethical considerations that the government need to take into account when deciding whether they should use Huawei's equipment.
"The government... needs to consider whether the use of Huawei's technology would jeopardise this country's ongoing co-operation with our major allies," it warned.
Huawei has consistently stated it expects the UK to make an evidence-based decision on the nature of the company's role within the country's 5G infrastructure.