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Musing on Huawei
British Placate Trump Admin, Ban Huawei from 5G Network
July 12, 2020
The FBI director held a press conference where he announced a counter intelligence program to combat intellectual theft saying the FBI opened a new China case every 10 hours and that 2500/5000 of their cases were China related. This emphasis may driving the concern that there is a back door to Huawei’s 5G technology, which allows the Chinese government to monitor information transmitted on a 5G network. If such a capability exists, the US government has offered no proof. What endures is an orchestrated effort by the US to push 5G technology sales away from the Chinese company and the latest rationale is outrageous. The Trump administration claimed Huawei could listen to 5G networks and retaliated by banning the use of US enabled semiconductor technology in Huawei products. Now, the British government is withdrawing from its commitment to buy Huawei 5G equipment because Huawei can’t use the latest trusted technology. Musing doesn’t want the Chinese or anyone inappropriately accessing our networks, but let’s use our technology to compete not “uncompete”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly preparing to begin phasing out the use of Huawei Technologies Co. equipment in the U.K.’s 5G telecoms network as soon as this year. A report from the National Cybersecurity Centre concluded that new U.S. sanctions mean Huawei will have to use untrusted technology, making security risks impossible to control. Officials are drawing plans to speed up the removal of existing Huawei kit, although an exact timetable is yet to be set. No date has yet been set for a cross-government discussion at the National Security Council. “If the U.S. imposes sanctions, which they have done, we believe that could have a significant impact on the reliability of Huawei equipment and when we can use it safely,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told Sky News on Monday when asked about the prospect of phasing out Huawei. “If it’s appropriate to change policy, we’ll clearly make a statement to the House of Commons when we’ve been through that and made a decision,”
Speaking later on LBC Radio, Dowden said he’d make a statement on Huawei to Parliament before it rises for summer recess on July 22.
The decision marks a U-turn by Johnson’s administration, which in January cleared Huawei to participate in the U.K.’s 5G build-out subject to strict conditions, including a 35% cap on its involvement and a bar on its gear being used in parts of the network deemed sensitive. Ministers argued the U.K. needed diversity in its suppliers, and that any risks involved in using Chinese equipment could be mitigated.
The decision was opposed by Donald Trump’s administration, which wanted Johnson to impose an outright ban on the Shenzhen-based tech giant, citing concerns that its gear could be vulnerable to infiltration by Chinese spies. The U.K. prime minister also faced growing hostility from opponents within his own Conservative Party, who believed they had the numbers to block any legislation on the matter. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Parliament’s Defense Committee on June 30 that U.S. sanctions on Huawei -- which put its microchip supply in jeopardy -- are “designed to make 5G designed by Huawei very hard to do.” Sitting alongside him, Culture Secretary Dowden said the sanctions were “likely to have an impact on the viability of Huawei as a provider for the 5G network.” He also said Huawei won’t be part of the U.K.’s 5G telecoms networks in the long term, adding that he welcomes approaches from alternative vendors including South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. and Japan’s NEC Corp.
“We are working closely with our customers to find ways of managing the proposed U.S. restrictions so the U.K. can maintain its current lead in 5G,” Huawei Vice-President Victor Zhang said. “We believe it is too early to determine the impact of the proposed restrictions, which are not about security, but about market position.”.
many Conservative MPs, 38 of whom rebelled in a vote on this issue in March.
In an article for the FT, Sawers said the original decision to allow Huawei a partial role in building 5G was a “reasonable balance” but that was no longer the case because of the sanctions, which would stop the firm using technology reliant on American intellectual property.
Sir John Sawers, former chief of MI6: ‘The security assessment is now different because the facts have changed’. As a result, “reliable non-Chinese suppliers … can no longer work with the company” and “UK intelligence services can therefore no longer provide the needed assurances that Chinese-made equipment is still safe to use in the UK’s telecoms network,” Sawers said. The original decision to allow Huawei to play a role in constructing Britain’s 5G network was taken because western companies could not compete on price or expertise. But the firm was never able to successfully refute suggestions that ultimately it is under the control of the Chinese state, meaning a hostile power could have leverage over critical UK infrastructure. The announcement in January sought to address this by saying Huawei would be excluded from “security critical” parts of 5G, but now it is expected that it will be phased out more generally.
Despite building a reputation for supplying low cost, high quality equipment that has helped it take a lead in new 5G network technology that many European analysts say could pose a threat to its ability to use only trustworthy components. In London, a decade of building warm business ties with China has been replaced with rising suspicion and skepticism, most recently culminating in the diplomatic stand-off over Beijing’s recent imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong, a former British colony. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sought to reassure the Chinese government of Britain’s continued interest in having close ties with the world’s second-biggest economy, the Parliament – controlled by Johnson’s Conservative Party – has threatened to derail any government plan that would allow Huawei into Britain’s 5G networks.
That paves the way for Huawei technology to be removed from existing parts of the 5G network by 2026 or 2027, with its 4G and 3G products to follow, The Sunday Times reported. If London decides to ban Huawei and walk back from Johnson’s policy earlier this year to allow the tech giant a maximum 35 per cent share in Britain’s non-sensitive 5G equipment, Germany will feel the most heat.
While lawmakers from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling conservatives have backed a position paper on 5G mobile networks that stopped short of banning Huawei, her government will be drawing up rules on installing components in the future 5G mobile communications network in or after September. Deutsche Telekom – Huawei's largest customer in Europe – has argued against any blanket bans on individual foreign vendors. The US has threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with Germany if Berlin follows through on allowing Huawei to build the 5G infrastructure.
“Hopefully, [the UK government’s plan] will allow Germany to make a security decision that is in the interests of its people and companies, protecting them from Chinese Communist Party spying and disruption,” the US source said. “The UK’s policy move in the direction of eliminating Huawei exposes the misleading statements by telecom operators.” For months, Berlin has been resisting Washington’s pressure to completely ban Huawei – which has already had long-term working relationships with Germany’s main telecoms operators – by pointing at the UK approach to draw a distinction between “core” and “noncore” parts of the networks.
In France, Huawei won a partial victory on Sunday as the cybersecurity agency ANSSI ruled out a total ban. “There won't be a total ban,” Guillaume Poupard, the head of ANSSI,” told Les Echo's newspaper in an interview “(But) for operators that are not currently using Huawei, we are inciting them not to go for it.”
France's decision over Huawei's equipment is crucial for two of the country's four telecoms operators, Bouygues Telecom and SFR, as about half of their current mobile network is made by the Chinese group. These two operators, according to Poupard, will be allowed to use Huawei for “three to eight years”.
State-controlled Orange, meanwhile, has already chosen Huawei's European rivals Nokia and Ericsson for its network infrastructure. The head of the French cybersecurity agency ANSSI said there would not be a total ban on using equipment from Huawei in the rollout of the French 5G telecoms network, but that it was pushing French Telco’s to avoid switching to the Chinese company. France’s decision over Huawei’s equipment is crucial for two of the country’s four telecoms operators, Bouygues Telecom and SFR, as about half of their current mobile network is made by the Chinese group. “For those that are already using Huawei, we are delivering authorizations for durations that vary between three and eight years,” Poupard said
British Placate Trump Admin, Ban Huawei from 5G Network
July 12, 2020
The FBI director held a press conference where he announced a counter intelligence program to combat intellectual theft saying the FBI opened a new China case every 10 hours and that 2500/5000 of their cases were China related. This emphasis may driving the concern that there is a back door to Huawei’s 5G technology, which allows the Chinese government to monitor information transmitted on a 5G network. If such a capability exists, the US government has offered no proof. What endures is an orchestrated effort by the US to push 5G technology sales away from the Chinese company and the latest rationale is outrageous. The Trump administration claimed Huawei could listen to 5G networks and retaliated by banning the use of US enabled semiconductor technology in Huawei products. Now, the British government is withdrawing from its commitment to buy Huawei 5G equipment because Huawei can’t use the latest trusted technology. Musing doesn’t want the Chinese or anyone inappropriately accessing our networks, but let’s use our technology to compete not “uncompete”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly preparing to begin phasing out the use of Huawei Technologies Co. equipment in the U.K.’s 5G telecoms network as soon as this year. A report from the National Cybersecurity Centre concluded that new U.S. sanctions mean Huawei will have to use untrusted technology, making security risks impossible to control. Officials are drawing plans to speed up the removal of existing Huawei kit, although an exact timetable is yet to be set. No date has yet been set for a cross-government discussion at the National Security Council. “If the U.S. imposes sanctions, which they have done, we believe that could have a significant impact on the reliability of Huawei equipment and when we can use it safely,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told Sky News on Monday when asked about the prospect of phasing out Huawei. “If it’s appropriate to change policy, we’ll clearly make a statement to the House of Commons when we’ve been through that and made a decision,”
Speaking later on LBC Radio, Dowden said he’d make a statement on Huawei to Parliament before it rises for summer recess on July 22.
The decision marks a U-turn by Johnson’s administration, which in January cleared Huawei to participate in the U.K.’s 5G build-out subject to strict conditions, including a 35% cap on its involvement and a bar on its gear being used in parts of the network deemed sensitive. Ministers argued the U.K. needed diversity in its suppliers, and that any risks involved in using Chinese equipment could be mitigated.
The decision was opposed by Donald Trump’s administration, which wanted Johnson to impose an outright ban on the Shenzhen-based tech giant, citing concerns that its gear could be vulnerable to infiltration by Chinese spies. The U.K. prime minister also faced growing hostility from opponents within his own Conservative Party, who believed they had the numbers to block any legislation on the matter. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Parliament’s Defense Committee on June 30 that U.S. sanctions on Huawei -- which put its microchip supply in jeopardy -- are “designed to make 5G designed by Huawei very hard to do.” Sitting alongside him, Culture Secretary Dowden said the sanctions were “likely to have an impact on the viability of Huawei as a provider for the 5G network.” He also said Huawei won’t be part of the U.K.’s 5G telecoms networks in the long term, adding that he welcomes approaches from alternative vendors including South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. and Japan’s NEC Corp.
“We are working closely with our customers to find ways of managing the proposed U.S. restrictions so the U.K. can maintain its current lead in 5G,” Huawei Vice-President Victor Zhang said. “We believe it is too early to determine the impact of the proposed restrictions, which are not about security, but about market position.”.
many Conservative MPs, 38 of whom rebelled in a vote on this issue in March.
In an article for the FT, Sawers said the original decision to allow Huawei a partial role in building 5G was a “reasonable balance” but that was no longer the case because of the sanctions, which would stop the firm using technology reliant on American intellectual property.
Sir John Sawers, former chief of MI6: ‘The security assessment is now different because the facts have changed’. As a result, “reliable non-Chinese suppliers … can no longer work with the company” and “UK intelligence services can therefore no longer provide the needed assurances that Chinese-made equipment is still safe to use in the UK’s telecoms network,” Sawers said. The original decision to allow Huawei to play a role in constructing Britain’s 5G network was taken because western companies could not compete on price or expertise. But the firm was never able to successfully refute suggestions that ultimately it is under the control of the Chinese state, meaning a hostile power could have leverage over critical UK infrastructure. The announcement in January sought to address this by saying Huawei would be excluded from “security critical” parts of 5G, but now it is expected that it will be phased out more generally.
Despite building a reputation for supplying low cost, high quality equipment that has helped it take a lead in new 5G network technology that many European analysts say could pose a threat to its ability to use only trustworthy components. In London, a decade of building warm business ties with China has been replaced with rising suspicion and skepticism, most recently culminating in the diplomatic stand-off over Beijing’s recent imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong, a former British colony. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sought to reassure the Chinese government of Britain’s continued interest in having close ties with the world’s second-biggest economy, the Parliament – controlled by Johnson’s Conservative Party – has threatened to derail any government plan that would allow Huawei into Britain’s 5G networks.
That paves the way for Huawei technology to be removed from existing parts of the 5G network by 2026 or 2027, with its 4G and 3G products to follow, The Sunday Times reported. If London decides to ban Huawei and walk back from Johnson’s policy earlier this year to allow the tech giant a maximum 35 per cent share in Britain’s non-sensitive 5G equipment, Germany will feel the most heat.
While lawmakers from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling conservatives have backed a position paper on 5G mobile networks that stopped short of banning Huawei, her government will be drawing up rules on installing components in the future 5G mobile communications network in or after September. Deutsche Telekom – Huawei's largest customer in Europe – has argued against any blanket bans on individual foreign vendors. The US has threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with Germany if Berlin follows through on allowing Huawei to build the 5G infrastructure.
“Hopefully, [the UK government’s plan] will allow Germany to make a security decision that is in the interests of its people and companies, protecting them from Chinese Communist Party spying and disruption,” the US source said. “The UK’s policy move in the direction of eliminating Huawei exposes the misleading statements by telecom operators.” For months, Berlin has been resisting Washington’s pressure to completely ban Huawei – which has already had long-term working relationships with Germany’s main telecoms operators – by pointing at the UK approach to draw a distinction between “core” and “noncore” parts of the networks.
In France, Huawei won a partial victory on Sunday as the cybersecurity agency ANSSI ruled out a total ban. “There won't be a total ban,” Guillaume Poupard, the head of ANSSI,” told Les Echo's newspaper in an interview “(But) for operators that are not currently using Huawei, we are inciting them not to go for it.”
France's decision over Huawei's equipment is crucial for two of the country's four telecoms operators, Bouygues Telecom and SFR, as about half of their current mobile network is made by the Chinese group. These two operators, according to Poupard, will be allowed to use Huawei for “three to eight years”.
State-controlled Orange, meanwhile, has already chosen Huawei's European rivals Nokia and Ericsson for its network infrastructure. The head of the French cybersecurity agency ANSSI said there would not be a total ban on using equipment from Huawei in the rollout of the French 5G telecoms network, but that it was pushing French Telco’s to avoid switching to the Chinese company. France’s decision over Huawei’s equipment is crucial for two of the country’s four telecoms operators, Bouygues Telecom and SFR, as about half of their current mobile network is made by the Chinese group. “For those that are already using Huawei, we are delivering authorizations for durations that vary between three and eight years,” Poupard said
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