UK operators are banned from buying new equipment from a Chinese company from January 2021
According to which telecom operators will be prohibited from installing new Huawei equipment at the end of September next year, the UK has passed a new law. They will also be banned from ordering hardware maintenance services from Huawei from April 2021.
Huawei kicked out of UK much earlier than expected
The law was passed after Huawei, with its 5G equipment, was considered a threat to national security and privacy. The United States imposed serious sanctions on the Chinese company and forced its allies to refuse to cooperate. Conservative MPs later called for the complete removal of all Huawei equipment from the UK.
The complete ban was supposed to go into effect by 2027, but UK operators have been banned from buying new equipment from a Chinese company since January 2021. At the same time, they will be allowed to complete the existing equipment in their base stations until September. UK carriers are expected to rely on companies like Nokia and Ericsson, which have already signed contracts following the Huawei ban.
The UK government also wants to accelerate the phase-out of older 2G and 3G technologies. Also, a National Telecommunications Laboratory will be established to research security and improve interoperability between operators.
