Matthew Howett appeared on the BBC News at ten to talk about the implications of possibly further restricting Huawei in the UK.
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"It's not only a very expensive process for the operators, but it's going to be a time-consuming one as well because they need to get access to all those sites to make the changes," added Matthew Howett from Assembly, the consultancy that wrote Mobile UK's report.
One thing practically everyone agrees on is that the matter needs to be settled once and for at a time when so much else about the economy is uncertain.
"These procurement decisions can take 18 months to two years to finalise and it takes time to ramp up supply to meet the demand," said Mr Howett.
"So this isn't just a question of overnight deciding not to use Huawei - it would take many years to do it properly."
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“This deal has been mooted for a while, and makes a lot of sense given the trend toward fixed and wireless network convergence,” said Matthew Howett, founder of London-based analyst firm Assembly Research.
A deal that brings together a fixed-line operator with a mobile provider is more likely to be approved by regulators than mobile-to-mobile consolidation, Howett said. “It doesn’t reduce competition in mobile, and preserves the four-player market that Ofcom and others have been committed to,” he said, referring to Britain’s telecommunications regulator.
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Delays to the government’s plan to roll out superfast broadband across the country could see the UK lose almost £30bn in economic benefits, according to research published today.
Telecoms analysts warned a 12-month delay to the 2025 target would mean the UK misses out on a £9.7bn boost to the economy, while a two-year setback would cost £28.7bn.
“Access to reliable, future-proof digital infrastructure for all isn’t a luxury, but now accepted as a necessity whether it’s used for work, education or play,” said Matthew Howett, principal analyst and founder of Assembly Research.
“Increasing investment in key digital infrastructure will provide the bounce-back and economic recovery the UK will desperately need in the months and years ahead.”
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A route forward is unclear. Some rebels may accept a cap lower than 35%. But others are siding with Trump, arguing that security concerns and alleged Chinese government influence over the company mean that it should be banned completely. Huawei has repeatedly said such fears are unfounded. The latter route would be expensive and convoluted: It would delay Britain’s 5G roll-out by two years and cost the U.K. economy 6.8 billion pounds ($8.5 billion), according to London-based technology analyst firm Assembly Research, harming productivity and risking the loss of key investment in 5G technology like connected factories and automated vehicles.
“It comes at an unwelcome time,” said that report’s author, Matthew Howett. “We’ve all come to realize just how important and crucial connectivity is, and anyone who’s had a poor experience will want those upgrades to happen yesterday, not in another 24 months’ time.”
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“Vodafone was caught between a rock and a hard place,” said Matt Howett, founder of Assembly Research, noting that although the company was simply later than its rivals in raising prices its timing was poor. “It doesn’t look good,” he said.
Mr Howett said that price rises that could have been frozen undermine those efforts. “You are giving with one hand and taking away with another. What consumers really feel most right now is what is coming out of their pockets,” he said.
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“We will need to watch what traffic patterns are like to ensure a smooth experience for everyone,” said Matthew Howett, founder of Assembly, a telecoms regulatory consultancy firm in London. “Some people are experiencing problems with online services. But that’s a problem with those services, and not the network.”
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Matt Howett, an analyst with Assembly, said that although the Huawei decision is important for the UK industry, it could have a negative effect on the economy if telecoms companies end up having to delay the roll out of 5G networks in order to comply with the cap.
“This will cost the economy if there is a material delay on 5G rollouts,” he said.
