The U.K. may soon overturn Huawei ban – Here’s Why

A few days ago, the U.K government announced that Huawei will not participate in its 5G construction. After the announcement, a new report the Guardian claims that things may quickly take a new turn. The decision for the ban comes days after the UK government held in-depth discussions and confidential correspondence with Huawei executives. The report says that the UK informed the company that “geopolitical factors” is part of the reason(s) for Huawei’s ban. However, Trump’s reelection bid (there will be a U.S. presidential election in November) will determine what happens. The U.K. will reconsider its decision if Trump is not successful. Obviously, a lot of things for Huawei will change if President Donald Trump fails his reelection bid.

The report also reveals that Huawei executives have publicly announced that they want the UK to reconsider its decision. The U.K’s public statement states that Huawei’s ban is due to new security concerns. It claims that the concerns are from its National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Later, Oliver Dowden, the UK’s Minister for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, said, the new sanctions ban stops the sale of U.S.-made parts to Huawei, which means the Chinese company will have to source from other sources. “The new U.S. measures limit Huawei’s ability to produce important products using British technology or software. The National Cyber Security Center has reconsidered the consequences of the U.S. move…”

The NCSC reports that they have conducted a security assessment of Huawei’s presence in the UK’s 5G network. The uncertainty that exists up and down Huawei’s supply chain is enormous. The UK is no longer confident that Huawei can guarantee that the U.S. ban will not affect the company. The security of Huawei’s 5G devices has been a cause for concern.

President Trump loves the U.K’s decision

Prior to this, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had promised to provide superfast broadband to every home and business in the country by 2025.

It is worth noting that at a press conference held by the US White House on the 14th, Trump immediately praised the UK’s decision, “I do most of the time”, and said he was trying to force other countries not to use Huawei.

Furthermore, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, “I think it’s a sensible decision. Anyone can try to speak up for this decision because it is based on a technical assessment by the National Cybersecurity Center, which…”

However, Kevan Jones, who now sits on the House of Commons Intelligence and Security Committee argues that US pressure has swayed the British government. “Of course, security should be the number one priority, but it is clear that this decision was made for geopolitical reasons rather than in consideration of Britain’s Economic Cost.”

Huawei’s statement on its ban from U.K’s 5G network

“This decision is disappointing and bad news for all mobile phone users in the UK. It could put the UK in the slow lane of digital development, increase consumer spending on communications, and deepen the digital divide. Rather than ‘improving’, this move will reduce the UK’s level of development and we urge the government to reconsider this decision. We are confident that the new US controls will not affect the resilience and safety of the products we supply to the UK.”