The decision by the United Kingdom to allow Huawei to participate in the country’s 5G roll-out would result in a more advanced, more secure and more cost-effective telecoms infrastructure, says Victor Zhang, Vice-President, Huawei.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had on Tuesday said it would allow the Chinese telecommunication giant to build the UK’s next generation of super-fast wireless networks, in clear defiance of a warning from the United States that permitting Huawei equipment could undermine trade and intelligence ties between the two countries.
In a statement to BusinessDay, Zhang said Huawei has a strong track record of supplying cutting-edge technology to telecom operators in the UK for more than 15 years. The company hopes to continue to support “customers as they invest in their 5G networks, boosting economic growth and helping the UK continue to compete globally.”
Two committees set up by the UK parliament has also given Huawei a cybersecurity clearance.
Responding to the decision on excluding Huawei from the core network, the spokesperson said Huawei has not been invited to bid for any of the core network contracts for the 5G networks in the UK. “Our focus remains the supply of world-leading radio products where we have an established position in the UK market.”
Zhang added that Huawei agrees a diverse vendor market and fair competition are essential for network reliability and innovation, as well as ensuring consumers have access to the best possible technology.
Many share the sentiment that cutting competition by a reduction to just two vendor choices, cannot be good for the market and consumers, neither helpful to strengthening the resilience of telecoms networks that UK government describes as “of paramount importance”.
Zhang said Huawei’s focus will remain ‘supplying our customers with secure, reliable equipment so we maintain their support and continue to help create jobs and prosperity in the UK.’
Huawei stimulated a £1.7 billion contribution to UK GDP in 2018 alone, according to research by Oxford Economics.
