Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has issued a strong-worded statement following its ban from the UK’s 5G networks.
This afternoon, the UK government issued a statement saying Huawei will be completely removed from the UK’s 5G networks by the end of 2027.
It added that ahead of 2027, there will be a total ban on the purchase of any new 5G kit after 31 December 2020.
The ban comes after the UK government in January allowed the Chinese company to play a limited role in the UK's 5G network.
However, the UK made an about turn today following pressure from the UK government to close the door on Huawei.
Today the UK government said its announcement follows new advice produced by the National Cyber Security Centre on the impact of US sanctions against the telecommunications vendor.
Huawei has responded to the ban with Edward Brewster, spokesperson of Huawei UK, saying:
“This disappointing decision is bad news for anyone in the UK with a mobile phone.
“It threatens to move Britain into the digital slow lane, push up bills and deepen the digital divide. Instead of ‘levelling up’, the government is levelling down and we urge them to reconsider. We remain confident that the new US restrictions would not have affected the resilience or security of the products we supply to the UK.
“Regrettably, our future in the UK has become politicised; this is about US trade policy and not security. Over the past 20 years, Huawei has focused on building a better connected UK.
“As a responsible business, we will continue to support our customers as we have always done. We will conduct a detailed review of what today’s announcement means for our business here and will work with the UK government to explain how we can continue to contribute to a better connected Britain.”
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