Huawei kit will stay inside part of Britain’s mobile phone network for SEVEN YEARS, experts say

Huawei equipment will stay inside part of Britain’s mobile phone network for up to SEVEN YEARS even if it is banned, experts say

  • Industry insiders say it would take seven years to rip out Huawei kit from infrastructure if ordered to do so by the Government
  • National Cyber Security Centre launched review into Huawei this week
  • Review follows US decision to slap fresh sanctions on the Chinese company 

Huawei equipment will remain inside part of Britain’s mobile phone network for up to seven years, even if Boris Johnson tries to ban it, the Daily Mail can reveal.

And banning the Chinese firm will also result in long delays to his plan to deliver full-fibre broadband to all in the UK, Whitehall officials have warned.

Industry insiders said last night that it would take between five and seven years for them to rip out Huawei kit from their infrastructure if they were told to do so by the Government.

The revelation comes after Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre launched a review into the security implications of Huawei’s role this week following the US decision to slap fresh sanctions on the firm. 

The US believes Huawei is used by the Chinese state for spying. 

Industry insiders said it would take between five and seven years for them to rip out Huawei kit from their infrastructure if they were told to do so by the Government (stock image)

The review could force the Prime Minister to reconsider his decision to allow Huawei a limited role in helping to build Britain’s 5G network. 

There had already been cross-government discussions about whether to phase out Huawei completely from the network by 2023. But industry experts and officials have told the Mail that it would take years for telecoms firms to remove existing kit.

One official said: ‘Huawei is so  thoroughly integrated within the current system that tearing it out will result in delays [to the rollout of broadband]. You can’t just rip it all out, not to get it to 0 by 2023.’

One industry source said: ‘It’s not as simple as flicking a switch,  it’s a big civil engineering challenge. We would have to rip out chunks of the 4G network too.

Boris Johnson is set to scale down Huawei's involvement in Britain's 5G network

Mr Johnson's (pictured) decision is due to China's controversial handling of the coronavirus pandemi

Boris Johnson (right) is set to scale down Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network due to China’s controversial handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Left: China’s president Xi Jinping

What is 5G? 

5G is the next generation of mobile broadband that will replace 4G.

Download speeds will be 10 times faster than today, and will change how we work and communicate.

Self-driving cars, fire alarms and even fridges will be connected to 5G.

5G networks began rolling out in the US and around the world in 2018.

Companies are racing to have the fastest or biggest 5G networks, and countries are competing to be the first to implement 5G nation-wide, because the benefits of the new technology are expected to transform society. 

‘We would have to rip out tens of thousands of antennae sites across the country. A realistic time scale for that would be five to seven years.’ 

The source warned that removing Huawei  from the network could result in disruptions to the networks of those using 4G as well.

Some Tory MPs are angry over Mr Johnson’s decision in January to give the green light to plans to use Huawei kit in 35 per cent of Britain’s 5G network, despite the US warning against the move.

They believe China’s response during the pandemic will make it harder for the Government to get Huawei legislation through the Commons in the summer.

Tory MP David Davis tweeted: ‘If ministers really think they cannot remove existing Huawei equipment by 2023, [telecoms firms] should stop installing new Huawei equipment now.’

While campaigning to become Tory leader, Mr Johnson pledged to deliver full-fibre broadband to all households by 2025.

The Government dropped the target in the Queen’s Speech last October but remained committed to ‘accelerate the delivery of fast, reliable and secure broadband networks to millions of homes’.

The US sanctions, announced earlier this month, outlaw any American intellectual property from being used in the production of Huawei equipment.

The sanctions present a problem for the UK because mobile chips currently manufactured for use in Huawei products include US technology.

Huawei has long denied it poses a security threat.

Huawei’s involvement in UK 5G explained 

What is Huawei? 

Huawei was founded in 1987 in Shenzhen, southern China, by Ren Zhengfei, a former army officer. 

It started making communications equipment for mobile phone networks and now employs 180,000 workers.

What role will Huawei have in the UK?

Huawei will be banned from supplying equipment to ‘sensitive parts’ of the network, known as the core.

It is excluded from areas near military bases and nuclear sites, and is only allowed to account for 35 per cent of the kit in a network’s ‘periphery’.

The ‘core’ is distinct from the Radio Access Network (‘periphery’), made up of base stations and masts used to link mobile devices to the core.

As more operations are carried out closer to users, and the distinctions between the core and the periphery blurs, there are concerns it will not be possible to keep Huawei out of the network’s more sensitive areas. 

Should we be worried about Huawei?

Its founded Ren Zhengfei was member of the People’s Liberation Army for nine years until 1983. He is also a member of China’s Communist Party.

The US has threatened to restrict the UK’s access to intelligence shared between the so-called ‘Five Eyes’ alliance – the US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Washington claims that Huawei is in the pocket of the Chinese Communist Party and is spying on its people.

The US has banned American firms from doing business with Huawei.