Starting in 2023, all Huawei telecom equipment in 5G networks will have to be replaced with equipment from other brands, reports Financial Times based on people in the British government. Britain cited the same reason as many other Western countries: fear of national security. China’s Huawei is increasingly distrusted due to its close ties to the Chinese government.

Huawei equipment may still have limited use in building the UK’s 5G network. The use of Huawei in core networks is no longer permitted, a measure that also applies in the Netherlands. The decision in England was taken during the government of the previous Prime Minister, Theresa May. Current Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to reverse the decision.

The US wants stricter policies

At the start of this year, American President Trump was unhappy with the UK’s limited use of Huawei. The US would prefer Britain to ban Huawei completely, as has already happened in the US. Trump then threatened to limit Britain’s access to the Five Eyes collaboration between US, Canadian, New Zealand, Australian and British intelligence agencies.

The UK’s biggest providers, EE, Three and Vodafone, are already busy building out their 5G networks and all three use Huawei equipment. A switch to a European alternative from Ericsson or Nokia would delay network build-out and increase costs significantly.

Victor Zhang, vice president of Huawei, told the Financial Times that the report was “absurd.” “The government decided in January to approve our role in the 5G rollout because the UK needs the best technology, more choice, innovation and more suppliers,” Zhang said.