The British government is reportedly mulling boosting state funding for domestic telecoms companies so that they can better compete in the 5G sector. The move comes as part of London’s current efforts to reduce Huawei’s involvement in building the UK’s 5G infrastructure.
Huawei has announced that it is “as committed as ever” to delivering “the best equipment” to Britain’s 5G mobile and full-fibre broadband providers.
The Chinese telecom giant’s open letter to the public comes as Huawei is launching a newspaper and Internet campaign to mark 20 years of its business in the UK.
He voiced hope that Britain would take an “evidence and fact-based approach” on Huawei, warning of the far-reaching economic repercussions of the company’s possible exclusion from participating in building the UK’s 5G network.
He underscored the need to “work closely to address the issue”, but added that Huawei should “take action to accelerate the broadband deployment” because the company doesn’t “have time to delay this”.
UK Seeking ‘New Entrants’ in 5G Market
The interview comes after The Times reported last week that British Prime Boris Johnson was considering increasing state funding for domestic telecoms companies, such as Vodafone and BT, so that they can better compete in the 5G sector, as part of London’s current efforts to diminish Huawei’s involvement in building the UK’s 5G infrastructure.
The announcement followed the government saying in February that they would give Huawei a limited role in building the UK’s 5G network, despite previous warnings from Washington that the move could potentially compromise Britain’s security and hamper intelligence-sharing between the US and the UK.
At the same time, London stressed at the time that Huawei would be excluded from the 5G network’s “core” parts, such as security-related areas.
The announcement came amid a US crackdown on Huawei, which has been in place since May 2019, when the Department of Commerce prohibited Internet providers from using the company’s products and American companies from selling technologies to the Chinese tech giant without obtaining a special license first.
The White House claims that the company is collaborating with the Chinese government to allow it to spy on those who use the tech titan’s equipment, allegations that have been rejected by both Beijing and Huawei.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
