As the world slowly builds out its 5G infrastructure and looks forward to faster mobile connectivity than ever before, Britain has made a curious decision: it has decided to switch off some 5G equipment again. Because? Because some of the deployment is already done by the Chinese tech giant Huawei, and the government has concluded that it doesn't want the company anywhere near our 5G network. So what does this mean for you and your shiny new 5G phone? Is the future finally here, or will it still be protected for a while? Should you wait now to buy a 5G device? Read on to find out.
What has the British government decided?
If this controversy gives you a sense of déjà vu, then you're not alone. In April 2019, then-British Prime Minister Theresa May decided that telephone networks could use Huawei-made equipment in non-critical parts of their infrastructure. Think of all the transmitters, routers, and other technical gubbins that actually help get the internet to our phones. They are not specifically the Huawei mobile phones that you have seen in stores. But it turns out that April 2019 was another era. Not just because at the time we were able to kiss without becoming social pariahs, but because this week the current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, decided the exact opposite. He said No Way, Huawei. So now all existing Huawei equipment will need to be phased out by 2027, and any planned future infrastructure will need to be built using equipment from companies like Nokia and Ericsson.
What will happen to the UK's 5G network?
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(Image credit: Future) It's unclear to what extent this will have an impact on the rollout of 5G in Britain, although it seems almost certain to slow it down. Rather than just throwing out new transmitters and the like, O2, EE, Vodafone and Three will all have to spend time swapping out existing equipment. According to Mobile UK, a mobile industry lobby group backed by the four major networks, this could delay the completion of 5G rollout by 18 to 24 months. But not everyone is so pessimistic. "The timing has been chosen to limit potential disruptions to the existing system linked to the decommissioning of Huawei components," explains John Bryson, professor of business and economic geography at the University of Birmingham. The other, and slightly annoying, complication is that when it comes to 5G gear, Huawei is the market leader and is widely regarded as producing the best and most cost-effective gear in the world. So the networks will not only have to find alternatives, but they will also have to pay more for this privilege. Whether an increase in costs will be passed on to the consumer remains to be seen.
Why did the government make this decision?
Depending on your cynicism, there are two answers. The first answer, which you will likely hear from politicians who defend the decision, is that this decision was motivated by national security concerns. The 5G network will be an essential national infrastructure, just like our electricity grid or our North Sea gas. Therefore, it is probably unwise for a company based in a potential major adversary, China, to be involved in managing this infrastructure. For example, it's easy to imagine how, in a cyber warfare situation, China might insist that Huawei embed a backdoor into its equipment, so that it could spy on UK data. How do we know that China could do this? It turns out that the United States did the same. As Edward Snowden put it, the US National Security Agency (NSA) forced all the big US tech companies to build backdoors into their products. To be clear, there is no evidence that Huawei 5G equipment or devices have been used in the past for this purpose. But at the end of the day, even if Huawei is a company independent of the government, just as the President of the United States can trust Facebook and Google, Xi Jinping can trust Huawei if he wants to. So, on one level, it's quite reasonable to worry. Although not everyone finds this a convincing argument. "Huawei is under more scrutiny (at its expense) than any other technology company in the world," said Professor Madeline Carr, director of UCL's Sociotechnical Cybersecurity Research Institute. "I would say that we would be much better if we had the same level of control over Google, Amazon, Facebook, etc." The second, more cynical, level to understand the decision is that this decision is a direct reaction to Donald Trump's aggressive stance with China. Since taking office in 2017, he has been embroiled in a trade war, going so far as to impose sanctions last year that barred Huawei from using chips from Western vendors in its phones, and Google Services on the version of Android that runs on them. . . More recently, and especially since Theresa May made the initial decision, Trump has threatened to withdraw information-sharing agreements with the United States from countries that use Huawei equipment. So if the UK ghosts want to maintain access to one of our closest allies, they really had no choice. And on top of that, there's also the more practical reason why US sanctions against Huawei could make it harder for British companies to obtain and keep Huawei equipment. And hey, if the security concerns are justified, at least the decision may make it a little harder for the Chinese government to read your exciting WhatsApp messages without a doubt.
What does Huawei say?
So what does Huawei say on the subject? Edward Brewster, spokesman for Huawei UK, said: "This disappointing move is bad news for anyone in the UK with a mobile phone. It threatens to push Britain into the digital world, to raise bills and deepen the digital divide. Instead of "leveling up" the government is downgrading and we urge them to reconsider "We remain convinced that the new US restrictions would not have affected the resilience or safety of the products we supply to the UK. Unfortunately, our future in the UK has become politicized, it is US trade policy not security." The company also said it would begin a detailed review of the impact of the UK government's decision, and that the company will continue to try to work with the UK government. in the future.It is not clear what will come of this at this time.
Wait... isn't Huawei equipment used for 4G and wired internet anyway?
It's the fun we don't talk about often! As well as being at the forefront of 5G deployment, Huawei's network infrastructure has been an integral part of Britain's 2G, 3G and 4G networks for many years, including many broadband infrastructures. permanent. Therefore, it is likely that this article passed through some Huawei equipment on the way from TechRadar servers to the device you are reading this on right now. More importantly, as things stand, this week's decision only affects 5G, and the government has said there is no need for mobile companies to replace older generations of equipment. Also funny, until 2018, the Huawei kit was even used in a special 4G network for emergency services, including the police. But BT has removed this issue citing similar security concerns. So is Huawei in 4G good and Huawei in 5G bad? As stupid as it sounds, there is certainly one important difference: when 5G reaches its full potential, it will not only do everything we do with 4G now, it will be even more critical. It will be the backbone of everything from autonomous vehicles to smart grids and other critical infrastructure that could have real or deadly consequences. Or maybe the government realized that going back and modernizing the entire 4G infrastructure would be an even more expensive nightmare?
Will my new Huawei 5G phone still work?
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The Huawei P40 Pro (Image credit: TechRadar) If you recently bought a Huawei P40 Pro or are planning a P30 Lite, don't worry, your phone will still work just fine. The decision only applies to technical infrastructure. Phew!
It's a relief. So tell me: was the decision the right one?
Ultimately, the decision is a difficult compromise. For one, the ban will likely limit 5G rollout in a very real way. And this could also have broader economic implications. According to lobby group Mobile UK, this could cost the British economy between €4.5bn and €6.8bn. This will cost Britain in terms of productivity and competitiveness at a time when the economy is already under pressure from Covid-19 and Brexit. But if you're buying the national security argument to freeze Huawei out of 5G and you're concerned about China's growing assertion internationally and in cyberspace, then... how can you put a price there? on? It could be considered as a price to pay. And who knows, maybe it could pay off in the long run as well, as steps taken by the West to limit Huawei's dominance could lead to a desire to support scientists in pioneering the next generation of mobile connectivity. democratic world. "I don't foresee any major problems with the rollout of 5G, because a delay of a few months is not significant," explains Professor Bryson. "The key will be 6G and 7G and where and by whom this technology will be developed." So is it better to lock down and protect the UK's infrastructure, or open it up a bit to get the best technology faster and cheaper? The frustrating answer is that there are no easy answers. But at least your phone will still work.