Huawei's kit removed from emergency services 4G network
BT has confirmed that equipment made by Huawei is being removed from the heart of a communication system being developed for the UK's police forces and other emergency services. It follows a statement from BT earlier this month that it was swapping out the Chinese firm's kit from the "core" of its 3G and 4G mobile networks.
The Sunday Telegraph was first to report the latest development. It said the move could extend work on the late-running £2.3bn project.
BT is covering the cost of the switch. It does not believe the changeover will lead to a further delay.
See also: Defying US crackdown, Huawei ships a record 200 million smartphones in 2018
Related Stories
Despite U.S. Pressure, Germany Refuses To Exclude Huawei's 5G Technology
The Trump administration insists that Chinese firm Huawei, which makes 5G technology, could hand over data to the Chinese government. The U.S. has warned European allies, including Germany, Hungary and Poland, to ban Huawei from its 5G network or risk losing access to intelligence-sharing.
Germany has refused to ban any company, despite pressure from the U.S. Instead, Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated that her country would instead tighten security rules. "Our approach is not to simply exclude one company or one actor," she told a conference in Berlin on Tuesday, "but rather we have requirements of the competitors for this 5G technology."
Did The U.S. Just Lose Its War With Huawei?
"There are two things I don't believe in," Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, referring to Germany's standoff with the United States over Huawei's inclusion in her country's 5G rollout. "First, to discuss these very sensitive security questions publicly, and, second, to exclude a company simply because it's from a certain country."
Europe now seems likely to settle on 'careful and considered' inclusion of Huawei instead of any blanket bans. Chancellor Merkel stressed this week that a joined-up EU response would be "desirable", and Italy and the U.K. are also backing away from Washington's prohibition on Huawei's 5G technology. If they fold, it is likely the broader European Union will follow suit. And if those key European allies can't be carried, what chance Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East?
UK reportedly planning to phase out Huawei equipment from its 5G networks
After resisting pressure from the US for months, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is apparently preparing to phase out the use of Huawei equipment from the UK's 5G networks, the Financial Times reported. Citing national security concerns, members of the UK's Conservative party have pushed for Huawei technology to be removed from the UK's 5G infrastructure and the rest of its telecom network by 2023.
[...] Trump reportedly called Johnson earlier this year to discuss the matter, and at least one member of Congress said the US was reconsidering its intelligence partnership with the UK.
Johnson had limited how much Huawei equipment could be used for 5G networks in the UK, banning the use of the company's technology in the most sensitive parts of the network. He said in January that there were not a lot of other options available for the UK's 5G infrastructure, and telecom Vodafone said removing Huawei equipment from its networks would be extremely costly.
See also: Reports: UK to cut Huawei's involvement in 5G network
Boris Johnson forced to reduce Huawei's role in UK's 5G networks
Previously:
U.S. Intelligence Agency Heads Warn Against Using Huawei and ZTE Products
Huawei's Equipment Removed from UK Telecom BT's Network for Emergency Services
EU to Drop Threat of Huawei Ban but Wants 5G Risks Monitored
UK to Toughen Telecoms Security Controls to Shrink 5G Risks
How China Is Building A World-Beating Phone Network
Using Huawei in UK 5G Network 'Madness', Says US
Getting Huawei Out of US Networks Requires Gov't Funding, Senators Say
Huawei Fires Back, Points To US' History Of Spying On Phone Networks
TSMC Dumps Huawei
(Score: 1, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday December 26 2018, @02:14AM (2 children)
President Xi of China, and I, "President Trump," are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, Huawei, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost!!
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday December 26 2018, @02:32AM (1 child)
*ZTE
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/06/12/trump_kept_zte_alive_as_personal_favour_to_chinese_president_xi/ [theregister.co.uk]
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/13/zte-trump-business-us-719205 [politico.com]
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/25/congress-caves-to-trump-in-fight-over-chinas-zte/ [foreignpolicy.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday December 26 2018, @09:28AM
It's called NEGOTIATION. I negotiated with President Xi -- very popular guy by the way, they made him President for Life. And I saved ZTE. Something nobody thought could happen. I made it happen. And possibly I can make it happen for Huawei too. Good things are happening. Maybe things will work out, and maybe they won't -- only time will tell. U. S. A.!!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 26 2018, @03:06AM
Most people know of Nokia through their mobile handsets, but their real big money has always been more in telecommunications equipment, which is why when they divested that division of theirs to Microsoft a few years back it was not such a big deal for them. They are actually a serious enough player that they are now the owners of Bell Labs, now known as Nokia Bell Labs [bell-labs.com]. Ericsson was in a similar position back in the day but they got out of the consumer handset business a lot sooner, after briefly getting into bed with Sony to do it, and now Sony's playing in that arena on its own. But go into any telecom data centre anywhere in the world and you'll probably see a lot of equipment in there with 'Ericsson' on it. They even invented a programming language, Erlang [erlang.org] (short for "Ericsson Language"), specifically for the software requirements of their telecom switches. Huawei is the same. Everyone knows all about their phones, but just as with Nokia and Ericsson, they have even bigger money in telecom equipment. Their sale of 200 million smartphones is probably just a small consolation to them after their even bigger losses in the telecom equipment market.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by MostCynical on Wednesday December 26 2018, @05:32AM (9 children)
has anyone proved ZTE or Huawei equipment has backdoors?
Is there any proof that any other equipment suppliers don't have backdoors?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 26 2018, @06:11AM
Not that I'm aware of. Given that there has been definitive evidence of the US's three-letter agencies backdooring non-Chinese comms hardware, this looks less like "get rid of the boogeyman's probably-uncompromised hardware" and more like "Five Eyes countries must only use Five Eyes-compromised hardware".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 26 2018, @06:51AM (3 children)
The Australians have taken a similar tack. Given the financial relationship between Australia and China they would only have done so if there was a real reason.
Where there is smoke?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday December 26 2018, @07:26AM (2 children)
Think that smoke is from the friction from Australian Prime Ministers humping Trump's leg.
(And doing their bit for Five Eyes)
The Chinese already have a huge (negative) impact on the Australian balance of trade.. They take Oz iron ore, and sell tons of crap.
Almosteffectively impossible to find Australian made tools, power tools, clothes, nuses, trains, trucks, electronics, etc etc.."I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday December 26 2018, @07:29AM (1 child)
Nuses?
Meant "buses"
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Wednesday December 26 2018, @03:29PM
But it might also be effectively impossible to find Australian nuses, as well. There aren't enough Australian-Albanians [wikipedia.org] to field a surplus of them [wiktionary.org].
This sig for rent.
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Wednesday December 26 2018, @11:39AM (1 child)
Seems to me that the allegations against supermicro had more evidence. (reservations about the truth of those allegations aside) No ban, not even a real movement to get one in supermicro's case. That is the real evidence that Huawei is being railroaded for non technical reasons.
Sent from my p20 pro, so I put my money where my mouth is on this one.
(Score: 2) by crafoo on Wednesday December 26 2018, @05:31PM
You make a good point, but we have no real evidence. Something is going on, that's clear. I think we can safely assume there are backdoors in place. Not just Chinese equipment, all equipment. Removing a foreign nation's backdoors from our telecoms equipment seems fairly prudent to me. Also maintaining your nation's telecoms equipment with domestic product seems like a good plan.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday December 27 2018, @02:48AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 30 2018, @05:01PM
This is the third or fourth enslavement of humanity (some obviously never left the last, involving physical or mental bondage) and many forget that before chattel slavery became a recent thing, indentured servitude was a thing for low class people of all races, until that became unpopular for religious and political reasons before eventually even chattel slavery became unpopular for mostly religious reasons.
Today we have technology replacing the former bonds of legal or physical enslavement, being replaced by an all seeing eye and the capability to take away your means of income, or even your income itself at any time, not unlike what was done during indenturement or later slavery in the recent past.
Dangerous times are ahead.