From CNET: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday gave Chinese tech behemoth Huawei the go-ahead to build noncore parts of the country's 5G network. It's a decision that comes with some serious restrictions -- Huawei will be excluded from sensitive geographic locations and will have its UK market share capped at 35%.
As part of the verdict, the UK won't allow Huawei equipment at military bases or nuclear sites, as well as all safety-related and safety-critical networks in the Critical National Infrastructure. Nor will the company be allowed to build core parts of the UK's 5G network. Instead it will be limited to the periphery access network, which connects devices and equipment to mobile phone masts.
"We want world-class connectivity as soon as possible but this must not be at the expense of our national security," Nicky Morgan, secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said in a statement to Parliament. "High risk vendors never have been and never will be in our most sensitive networks. The government has reviewed the supply chain for telecoms networks and concluded today it is necessary to have tight restrictions on the presence of high risk vendors."
Huawei applauded the decision, noting that it has supplied equipment to the UK's telecom operators for more than 15 years.
"Huawei is reassured by the UK government's confirmation that we can continue working with our customers to keep the 5G roll-out on track," Victor Zhang, a Huawei vice president, said in a statement. "We agree a diverse vendor market and fair competition are essential for network reliability and innovation."
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