UK gives Huawei partial role in 5G network

Huawei's market dominance and cost make it hard for governments to say no. File photo: AP

The British government has decided on a limited role for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei in the country's 5G network, saying that "high risk vendors" would be excluded from sensitive core infrastructure.



Many countries - including the US - say the company is too closely linked to the Chinese government. They say allowing Huawei to provide the latest high-speed mobile network could compromise security.



The UK's move - following a meeting of the National Security Council chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson - came shortly after Brussels said it would allow Huawei a limited 5G role in the European Union.



Britain's Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "We want world-class connectivity as soon as possible but this must not be at the expense of our national security."



She did not explicitly name Huawei, but said "High risk vendors never have been and never will be in our most sensitive networks," including locations such as nuclear sites and military bases, while their market share is to be capped.



Huawei welcomed news that it would have at least a limited role in building Britain's 5G networks, after Washington lobbied hard for the company to be sidelined completely on security concerns.



A US spokesman said Washington was disappointed by London's decision, adding: "There is no safe option for untrusted vendors to control any part of a 5G network." (AFP)