Technology
The UK is reportedly planning to phase out Huawei equipment from its 5 G network
After months of opposition from the US, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to be planning to phase out the use of Huawei equipment from the UK's 5 G networks, the Financial Times announced. Citing national security concerns, members of the UK Conservative Party called for Huawei 's technology to be phased out of the UK's 5 G infrastructure and the rest of its telecommunications network by 2023.
The Trump administration banned the use of Huawei 's technology by the government, and the President signed an executive order last May to prevent US businesses from purchasing foreign-made telecommunications equipment that could pose national security risks.
The order does not single out any company, but is seen as a way to exclude Chinese firms such as ZTE and Huawei from doing business in the US. Trump extended the ban to May 2021 last week.
The US charged that Huawei could create backdoors on network infrastructure, ostensibly to help the Chinese government 's spy efforts, Huawei 's claim has repeatedly been denied.
Trump reportedly called Johnson earlier this year to discuss the issue, and at least one member of Congress said the US was reconsidering its intelligence relationship with the United Kingdom.
Johnson restricted how often Huawei equipment could be used for 5 G networks in the United Kingdom, banning the use of the company's devices in the most important areas of the network. He said in January that there were not many other options open for the UK's 5 G networks, and Vodafone said that withdrawing Huawei 's equipment from the network would be incredibly expensive.
