The chair of the committee wrote a letter to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, ahead of the publication of the outcome of the Telecoms Supply Chain Review.
Background: The use of Chinese equipment in 5G networks, particularly from Huawei, has been the subject of lively debate. Security concerns have led some countries (such as US, Australia, New Zealand) to rule either a partial or a complete ban for mobile operators to use the company’s components. In the UK, the government has carried out a Telecoms Supply Chain review, the outcome of which has not yet been published.
No technological grounds to ban Huawei: The chair of the Science and Technology Committee within the UK Parliament has written a letter to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, saying there is no evidence that excluding Huawei from the UK’s networks would be a proportionate response to security issues. Operators have so far voluntarily excluded Huawei from their core networks, which means possible security risks coming from the use of Huawei equipment are limited. The letter supports a more formal exclusion of Huawei from the core of 5G networks, and also calls for the introduction of stronger oversight for other vendors, akin to the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC). The letter also acknowledges that Huawei needs to improve in the areas identified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
Time to publish the Telecoms Supply Chain Review: Finally, the Committee’s chair reminds the Government that the Telecoms Supply Chain Review needs to be published by the end of August 2019. Its publication will put an end to the uncertainty as to whether there will be any ban on equipment vendors for 5G, and will help the UK pursue its ambition to be a world leader in 5G.
