PM May approves Huawei for use in 5G networks despite opposition

US anger

The NSC’s decision risks enflaming the wrath of the US government, which has enacted an outright ban on Huawei equipment itself, and warned its allies that to allow the use of Huawei in critical national networks risked endangering future military and intelligence cooperation with the US.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has repeatedly attacked Huawei and issued thinly-veiled threats against European countries, such as Germany and the UK, that have signalled they may take a more pragmatic approach.

On 20 April 2019, The Times reported that the US had shared intelligence with its Five Eyes allies proving that Huawei had taken money from China’s People’s Liberation Army, its National Security Commission, and a third, undisclosed branch of the Chinese state intelligence network.

Speaking at last week’s Huawei Analyst Summit in Shenzhen, Huawei’s global cyber security and privacy officer, John Suffolk, said that in the face of US pressure over the UK’s use of Huawei, Westminster should collaborate with its European neighbours on network security standards, whether the UK remains part of the European Union (EU) or not.

“They should treat all suppliers the same, so that, in essence, it benefits from the best technology in a risk-managed way,” said Suffolk. “That’s what I’d advise the government. Get your policies right. Think what is in the best interest of UK citizens and enterprises overall, and maximise innovation.”

Diverse supply chain

Nevertheless, the NSC’s decision to approve limited use of Huawei equipment appears to reflect the views of both GCHQ’s Fleming and the NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin, both of whom have argued that it is safe to use the supplier’s hardware as part of a balanced and diverse supply chain.

In a speech in Singapore in February, Fleming said there were three pre-conditions for securing the UK’s 5G network infrastructure.

“First, we must have stronger cyber security practices across the telecommunications sector,” he said. “The market is configured in a way that does not incentivise good cyber security. That has to change.

“Second, telecoms networks must be more resilient. Vulnerabilities can and will be exploited, but networks should be designed in a way that cauterises the damage.

“Third, there must be sustainable diversity in the supplier market. A market consolidated to such an extent that there are only a tiny number of viable options will not make for good cyber security.”

Vodafone, which has worked alongside the NCSC to conduct risk assessments of how its existing and future mobile networks might be exposed to cyber security threats if Huawei was shown to be a bad actor, has taken a similar line.

The operator already excludes Huawei from its core 4G infrastructure and uses its hardware sparingly in non-core areas of the network. Its UK CTO, Scott Petty, has gone on record as saying this would also be the case when it came to 5G.

“Our belief is that by having a healthy supplier ecosystem with the right levels of interoperability and security between them – and our risk assessment based on the guidance from the NCSC – we can create an infrastructure where we can leverage Huawei so it can sense and protect the important parts of our network,” said Petty at a media roundtable event earlier in 2019, which was attended by Computer Weekly.