The British government announced on July 14 that the UK will not allow its mobile phone operators to purchase 5G kits from Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei and that it will remove existing Huawei 5G kits by 2027.
British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that while the decision will greatly hold up Britain’s 5G development, it was for the sake of national security.
Huawei’s UK spokesperson Edward Brewster responded that the decision was bad news for all mobile phone users in the UK, and he hopes the country will reconsider. He emphasized that the US’s new restriction on Huawei will not influence the safety of Huawei products.
Chinese analysts believe the decision was based on political reasons, as Huawei has been cooperating with UK telecom firms for some time. Just two weeks prior, Huawei announced the British government had aproved a plan to build an optoelectronics R&D center near Cambridge University, Huawei’s fourth R&D center in Britain. In January, the UK said it would allow Huawei’s limited participation in its 5G construction.
Liu Xiaoming, China’s Ambassador to Britain said that the British ban on Huawei and frequent changes in policies will destroy its established image of “being open, free and business friendly.”
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