The UK will keep Huawei Technologies out of “critical national infrastructure,” culture secretary Nicky Morgan said, as the government weighs up whether the Chinese company can play a role in developing the country’s 5G telecommunications networks, reported the South China Morning Post.
A final decision will come later his month, according to two officials familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named when discussing this sensitive issue.
Morgan’s comments are her strongest signal yet that Huawei will be barred from the most sensitive parts of the UK’s 5G telecommunications networks – though the term can also refer to a broader range of assets including power plants and emergency services. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hinted this week he is preparing to allow Huawei to supply at least some equipment for the next-generation broadband networks, even in the face of strong pressure for a ban from the US.
“I just want to make it very clear, Huawei will not be involved in our critical national infrastructure,” Morgan told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday. “The security, the safety of that infrastructure is absolutely paramount when the government is going to be making that decision.”
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