Boris Johnson has come under fire from Washington and from his own backbenches after giving the go-ahead for Chinese tech giant Huawei to help build the UK’s 5G and full-fibre broadband networks.
In a move which puts the prime minister on collision course with Donald Trump, a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by Mr Johnson agreed Huawei’s involvement on the “periphery” of the 5G project, capping its market share by law at 35 per cent.
Whitehall sources insisted that the decision did not affect the UK’s ability to share intelligence material with allies via secure communications links which are entirely separate from the public telecoms network. Huawei will be barred from the “core” elements of 5G and kept away from sensitive locations like nuclear sites and military bases.
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Banning Huawei would have cost the UK tens of billions of pounds, delaying by two or three years the implementation of 5G technology, which will dramatically increase the capacity of mobile networks and underpin the widespread introduction of artificial intelligence and driverless cars, the sources said.
But the development was greeted with howls of protest in the US congress, where Republican former presidential candidate Mitt Romney urged the PM to reverse the “disconcerting” development.


1/50 28 January 2020
Torches are lit using a flare ahead of the Up Helly Aa Viking festival. Originating in the 1880s, the festival celebrates Shetland’s Norse heritage
PA

2/50 27 January 2020
England bowler Mark Wood is lifted aloft by Joe Root after taking the final wicket of South Africa to win the match and series during day four of the Fourth Test at Wanderers in Johannesburg
Getty

3/50 26 January 2020
Performers taking part in a parade involving costumes, lion dances and floats, during Chinese New Year celebrations in central London, which marks the Year of the Rat
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4/50 25 January 2020
A couple walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire
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5/50 24 January 2020
Boris Johnson gestures as he watches a performance during celebrations for Chinese Lunar New Year at Downing Street in London
Reuters

6/50 23 January 2020
Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe stands next to her father Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and his mother Barbara, as they address the media in Downing Street following a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson
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7/50 22 January 2020
Rosa Connolly takes a close look during a preview of the Tyrannosaurs exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
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8/50 21 January 2020
The sun sets behind tower cranes and the London skyline in the city financial district
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9/50 20 January 2020
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in London. Johnson is hosting African leaders and senior government representatives along with British and African businesses during the UK-Africa Investment Summit, aimed at strengthening the UKs economic partnership with African nations
Getty

10/50 19 January 2020
Joe Root celebrates with his England team mates after taking the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen during day four of the third Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. He took a career-best four wickets during the day’s play, which saw the home side follow on in their second innings. They trail England by 188 runs going into day five
Getty

11/50 18 January 2020
Drag queens pose on the pink carpet as they participate in the “Queen’s Walk” during RuPaul’s DragCon UK at Kensington Olympia
AFP via Getty

12/50 17 January 2020
Kitty Ross, curator of social history, is pictured reflected in a display cabinet while holding a skeleton violin from the 1880s that forms part of the Sounds of our City exhibition at the Abbey House Museum in Leeds
PA

13/50 16 January 2020
Britain’s Harry, Duke of Sussex (C), hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, 16 Ja​nuary 2020. The Duke, who is expected to step back from senior Royal duties, spoke with Ruby League ambassadors and children from St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School in London
EPA

14/50 15 January 2020
Vehicles negotiate the flooded B4069 road at Christian Malford in Wiltshire after the river Avon burst its banks
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15/50 14 January 2020
Huge waves hit the sea wall in Porthcawl, Wales, as gales of up to 80mph from Storm Brendan caused disruption around the UK
PA

16/50 13 January 2020
Puppeteers from Vision Mechanic rehearsing with Scotland’s largest puppet, a ten-metre tall sea goddess called Storm, in the grounds of the Museum of Flight, East Lothian. Made entirely from recycled materials, it was unveiled ahead of its debut at the Celtic Connections Costal Day celebrations in Glasgow this weekend
PA

17/50 12 January 2020
A windsurfer jumps in the air after hitting a wave in the sea off of West Wittering beach in West Sussex
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18/50 11 January 2020
Mikuru Suzuki celebrates winning the women’s championship of the BDO World Professional Darts Championships 2020 in London
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19/50 10 January 2020
One of seven new lion cubs at the West Midlands Safari Park in Kidderminster
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20/50 9 January 2020
Rawson Robinson, from Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border clears snow from the model village he has built in his garden
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21/50 8 January 2020
People read messages written on the David Bowie mural in Brixton, south London, on what would have been the singer’s 73rd birthday
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22/50 7 January 2020
England’s Stuart Broad celebrates with teammate Ben Stokes after the dismissal of South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen during the fifth day of the second Test cricket match in Cape Town. Stokes claimed the last three wickets in the space of 14 deliveries to wrap up a 189-run win
AFP via Getty

23/50 6 January 2020
Protesters in London take part in a demonstration in support of a British woman found guilty of lying about being gang raped in Cyprus
AP

24/50 5 January 2020
Protesters demonstrate outside the US Embassy in London, after America killed Iran’s general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad’s international airport
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Metropolitan police cordon off Charteris Road close to the junction with Lennox Road in Finsbury Park in north London, after a man was stabbed to death on Friday evening, the first murder in London in 2020
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26/50 3 January 2020
Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London after the US killed General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad’s international airport. Soleimani was head of Tehran’s elite Quds Force and Iran’s top general
PA

27/50 2 January 2020
A keeper counts squirrel-monkeys at London Zoo during the annual stocktake. Caring for more than 500 different species, ZSL London Zoo’s keepers face the challenging task of tallying up every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate at the Zoo
AP

28/50 1 January 2020
Peter Wright celebrates winning with the Sid Waddell trophy at the Darts World Championships in London. He stunned Michael van Gerwen to clinch his first title 7-3
PA

29/50 31 December 2019
Surfers at Tynemouth on the north east coast
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30/50 30 December 2019
Deer graze in the morning mist as cyclists ride by in Richmond Park, London
Reuters

31/50 29 December 2019
Night sky after the sunset at Whitley Bay in Northumberland
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32/50 28 December 2019
The Harlequins players arrive at the stadium prior to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Big Game 12 match between Harlequins and Leicester Tigers at Twickenahm Stadium
Getty Images for Harlequins

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A car drives through floodwater near Harbridge, north of Ringwood in Hampshire, after the river Avon burst its banks
PA

34/50 26 December 2019
Participants in the Old Surrey and West Kent Boxing Day Hunt in Chiddingstone. Hunting with horses and hounds is a Boxing Day tradition. Since the fox hunting ban in 2004, modified hunts take place using scented trails for the animals to follow
EPA

35/50 25 December 2019
Swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the Peter Pan Cup race, which is held every Christmas Day at the Serpentine, in central London
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36/50 24 December 2019
Shoppers bid for cuts of meat during a Christmas Eve auction in Smithfield market in London
EPA

37/50 23 December 2019
Reggie the dog is rescued with a boat from flooding at the Little Venice Country Park and Marina in Maidstone
AFP via Getty

38/50 22 December 2019
People gather at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to mark the winter solstice, and to witness the sunrise after the longest night of the year
PA
39/50 21 December 2019
Southampton’s Jack Stephens scores their second goal against Aston Villa
Reuters

40/50 20 December 2019
The coffin arrives for the funeral of London Bridge terror attack victim Jack Merritt at Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge
PA

41/50 19 December 2019
Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles walk behind the Imperial State Crown as they proccess through the Royal Gallery, before the Queen’s Speech, during the State Opening of Parliament
AFP via Getty

42/50 18 December 2019
Luke Jerram’s art installation ‘Gaia’, a replica of planet earth created using detailed Nasa imagery of the Earth’s surface, hangs on display at the Eden Project in St Austell, Cornwall
PA

43/50 17 December 2019
A surfer gets into the festive spirit at the inland surfing lagoon at The Wave, near Bristol
PA

44/50 16 December 2019
Snowy conditions near Deepdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park as snow hits parts of the UK
PA

45/50 15 December 2019
Oisin Carson, 5, picks a Christmas tree at Wicklow Way Christmas tree farm in Roundwood
PA

46/50 14 December 2019
First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, takes a selfie as she joins the SNPs newly elected MPs for a group photo outside the V&A Museum in Dundee, Scotland
Getty Images

47/50 13 December 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds arrive back at Downing Street after the results for the general election were announced. The Conservative Party won with an overall majority
EPA

48/50 12 December 2019
A dog outside a polling station during the general election in Northumberland
Reuters

49/50 11 December 2019
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson stands between a Stop Brexit sign as she attends a general election campaign event at Esher Rugby Club, south west London. Britain will go to the polls tomorrow to vote
AFP via Getty

50/50 10 December 2019
A surfer off the North East coast at Tynemouth
PA

1/50 28 January 2020
Torches are lit using a flare ahead of the Up Helly Aa Viking festival. Originating in the 1880s, the festival celebrates Shetland’s Norse heritage
PA

2/50 27 January 2020
England bowler Mark Wood is lifted aloft by Joe Root after taking the final wicket of South Africa to win the match and series during day four of the Fourth Test at Wanderers in Johannesburg
Getty

3/50 26 January 2020
Performers taking part in a parade involving costumes, lion dances and floats, during Chinese New Year celebrations in central London, which marks the Year of the Rat
PA

4/50 25 January 2020
A couple walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire
PA
5/50 24 January 2020
Boris Johnson gestures as he watches a performance during celebrations for Chinese Lunar New Year at Downing Street in London
Reuters

6/50 23 January 2020
Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe stands next to her father Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and his mother Barbara, as they address the media in Downing Street following a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson
PA

7/50 22 January 2020
Rosa Connolly takes a close look during a preview of the Tyrannosaurs exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
PA

8/50 21 January 2020
The sun sets behind tower cranes and the London skyline in the city financial district
PA

9/50 20 January 2020
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in London. Johnson is hosting African leaders and senior government representatives along with British and African businesses during the UK-Africa Investment Summit, aimed at strengthening the UKs economic partnership with African nations
Getty

10/50 19 January 2020
Joe Root celebrates with his England team mates after taking the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen during day four of the third Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. He took a career-best four wickets during the day’s play, which saw the home side follow on in their second innings. They trail England by 188 runs going into day five
Getty

11/50 18 January 2020
Drag queens pose on the pink carpet as they participate in the “Queen’s Walk” during RuPaul’s DragCon UK at Kensington Olympia
AFP via Getty

12/50 17 January 2020
Kitty Ross, curator of social history, is pictured reflected in a display cabinet while holding a skeleton violin from the 1880s that forms part of the Sounds of our City exhibition at the Abbey House Museum in Leeds
PA

13/50 16 January 2020
Britain’s Harry, Duke of Sussex (C), hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, 16 Ja​nuary 2020. The Duke, who is expected to step back from senior Royal duties, spoke with Ruby League ambassadors and children from St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School in London
EPA

14/50 15 January 2020
Vehicles negotiate the flooded B4069 road at Christian Malford in Wiltshire after the river Avon burst its banks
PA

15/50 14 January 2020
Huge waves hit the sea wall in Porthcawl, Wales, as gales of up to 80mph from Storm Brendan caused disruption around the UK
PA

16/50 13 January 2020
Puppeteers from Vision Mechanic rehearsing with Scotland’s largest puppet, a ten-metre tall sea goddess called Storm, in the grounds of the Museum of Flight, East Lothian. Made entirely from recycled materials, it was unveiled ahead of its debut at the Celtic Connections Costal Day celebrations in Glasgow this weekend
PA

17/50 12 January 2020
A windsurfer jumps in the air after hitting a wave in the sea off of West Wittering beach in West Sussex
PA

18/50 11 January 2020
Mikuru Suzuki celebrates winning the women’s championship of the BDO World Professional Darts Championships 2020 in London
PA

19/50 10 January 2020
One of seven new lion cubs at the West Midlands Safari Park in Kidderminster
PA

20/50 9 January 2020
Rawson Robinson, from Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border clears snow from the model village he has built in his garden
PA

21/50 8 January 2020
People read messages written on the David Bowie mural in Brixton, south London, on what would have been the singer’s 73rd birthday
PA

22/50 7 January 2020
England’s Stuart Broad celebrates with teammate Ben Stokes after the dismissal of South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen during the fifth day of the second Test cricket match in Cape Town. Stokes claimed the last three wickets in the space of 14 deliveries to wrap up a 189-run win
AFP via Getty

23/50 6 January 2020
Protesters in London take part in a demonstration in support of a British woman found guilty of lying about being gang raped in Cyprus
AP

24/50 5 January 2020
Protesters demonstrate outside the US Embassy in London, after America killed Iran’s general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad’s international airport
PA

25/50 4 January 2020
Metropolitan police cordon off Charteris Road close to the junction with Lennox Road in Finsbury Park in north London, after a man was stabbed to death on Friday evening, the first murder in London in 2020
PA

26/50 3 January 2020
Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London after the US killed General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad’s international airport. Soleimani was head of Tehran’s elite Quds Force and Iran’s top general
PA

27/50 2 January 2020
A keeper counts squirrel-monkeys at London Zoo during the annual stocktake. Caring for more than 500 different species, ZSL London Zoo’s keepers face the challenging task of tallying up every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate at the Zoo
AP

28/50 1 January 2020
Peter Wright celebrates winning with the Sid Waddell trophy at the Darts World Championships in London. He stunned Michael van Gerwen to clinch his first title 7-3
PA

29/50 31 December 2019
Surfers at Tynemouth on the north east coast
PA

30/50 30 December 2019
Deer graze in the morning mist as cyclists ride by in Richmond Park, London
Reuters

31/50 29 December 2019
Night sky after the sunset at Whitley Bay in Northumberland
PA

32/50 28 December 2019
The Harlequins players arrive at the stadium prior to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Big Game 12 match between Harlequins and Leicester Tigers at Twickenahm Stadium
Getty Images for Harlequins

33/50 27 December 2019
A car drives through floodwater near Harbridge, north of Ringwood in Hampshire, after the river Avon burst its banks
PA

34/50 26 December 2019
Participants in the Old Surrey and West Kent Boxing Day Hunt in Chiddingstone. Hunting with horses and hounds is a Boxing Day tradition. Since the fox hunting ban in 2004, modified hunts take place using scented trails for the animals to follow
EPA

35/50 25 December 2019
Swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the Peter Pan Cup race, which is held every Christmas Day at the Serpentine, in central London
PA

36/50 24 December 2019
Shoppers bid for cuts of meat during a Christmas Eve auction in Smithfield market in London
EPA

37/50 23 December 2019
Reggie the dog is rescued with a boat from flooding at the Little Venice Country Park and Marina in Maidstone
AFP via Getty

38/50 22 December 2019
People gather at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to mark the winter solstice, and to witness the sunrise after the longest night of the year
PA
39/50 21 December 2019
Southampton’s Jack Stephens scores their second goal against Aston Villa
Reuters

40/50 20 December 2019
The coffin arrives for the funeral of London Bridge terror attack victim Jack Merritt at Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge
PA

41/50 19 December 2019
Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles walk behind the Imperial State Crown as they proccess through the Royal Gallery, before the Queen’s Speech, during the State Opening of Parliament
AFP via Getty

42/50 18 December 2019
Luke Jerram’s art installation ‘Gaia’, a replica of planet earth created using detailed Nasa imagery of the Earth’s surface, hangs on display at the Eden Project in St Austell, Cornwall
PA

43/50 17 December 2019
A surfer gets into the festive spirit at the inland surfing lagoon at The Wave, near Bristol
PA

44/50 16 December 2019
Snowy conditions near Deepdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park as snow hits parts of the UK
PA

45/50 15 December 2019
Oisin Carson, 5, picks a Christmas tree at Wicklow Way Christmas tree farm in Roundwood
PA

46/50 14 December 2019
First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, takes a selfie as she joins the SNPs newly elected MPs for a group photo outside the V&A Museum in Dundee, Scotland
Getty Images

47/50 13 December 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds arrive back at Downing Street after the results for the general election were announced. The Conservative Party won with an overall majority
EPA

48/50 12 December 2019
A dog outside a polling station during the general election in Northumberland
Reuters

49/50 11 December 2019
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson stands between a Stop Brexit sign as she attends a general election campaign event at Esher Rugby Club, south west London. Britain will go to the polls tomorrow to vote
AFP via Getty

50/50 10 December 2019
A surfer off the North East coast at Tynemouth
PA
“By prioritising costs, the UK is sacrificing national security and inviting the CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party’s] surveillance state in,” warned Mr Romney. “I implore our British allies to reverse their decision.”
Republican senator Tom Cotton said the UK opening the door to Huawei was “like allowing the KGB to build its telephone network during the Cold War” and called for an official review of US/UK intelligence-sharing, while Democrat Ruben Gallego said it was “irresponsible for our British friends to risk their national security and ours… for the sake of a few bucks”.
Meanwhile, in the House of Commons, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith declared himself “deeply disappointed” by the decision, while ex-cabinet minister David Davis said Huawei should be “banned from our networks” as Chinese law “requires it to take instruction from the Chinese intelligence agency”.
A UK security source insisted that Britain had received “no threats of withdrawal of cooperation” from its partners in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
President Trump has previously suggested that allowing Huawei access to sensitive telecommunications networks could cast into question American willingness to share intelligence, while a recent delegation from Washington warned it would be “madness” for the UK to involve the company in its 5G network.
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Mr Johnson called Mr Trump to update him on the decision, and to press the case for western allies to work together to diversify the market for hi-tech telecoms equipment and “break the dominance of a small number of companies” in the sector.
London is blaming a “market failure” for putting the UK in a situation where alternative suppliers like Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia were unable to provide the necessary kit to the same timescale and cost as Huawei.
The government is concerned that any delay to the roll-out of hi-tech new communications systems would hit its efforts to solve the UK’s persistent problem with stagnant productivity.
Today’s NSC meeting officially designated Huawei for the first time as a “high-risk vendor”, based on criteria including the legal regime in China, its home country’s record of cyberattacks and its own past behaviour.
The Chinese company will be allowed no involvement in the “core” of the network, made up of tightly-guarded server banks storing and operating databases of individuals’ personal information, authentication systems and encryption facilities.
But it will be allowed to supply equipment such as broadband fibre cables, antennae and base stations.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab confirmed the plans in a statement to MPs this afternoon – a day after several senior Conservatives pleaded with him to step back from the go-ahead.
He told the Commons that the government’s approach “will substantially improve the security and the resilience of the UK’s telecoms networks”. And former PM Theresa May, who first gave the green light for Huawei’s involvement in a leaked NSC meeting last year, said the decision was “right for the UK”.
Huawei welcomed the announcement, saying it was “reassured that we can continue working with our customers to keep the 5G roll-out on track”.
“This evidence-based decision will result in a more advanced, more secure and more cost-effective telecoms infrastructure that is fit for the future,” said the company’s vice-president Victor Zhang.


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An employee enters a train in the Huawei’s Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan
Reuters

2/20
A worker cleans a waterway as office buildings are seen at Huawei’s new Ox Horn Research and Development campus in Dongguan, near shenzen
Getty

3/20
An area of Huawei’s Ox Horn campus modelled after Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic
Getty

4/20
The real Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic
Getty

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Employees sleep in their cubicle in the research and development area after lunch at the Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

6/20
An area of Huawei’s Ox Horn campus modelled after Heidelberg in Germany
Getty Images

7/20
Employees play basketball on a court within the staff housing complex at the end of the workday at the Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

8/20
A replica of the Karl Theodor Bridge in Huawei’s Ox Horn campus
Getty

9/20
The real Karl Theodor Bridge in Heidelberg, Germany
Getty

10/20
Huawei’s Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan
Reuters

11/20
Employees ride the bus home at the end of the workday from the company’s Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

12/20
Huawei workers eat their subsidised lunch in one of many large cafeterias at the company’s Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

13/20
Reception staff walk in front of a large screen showcasing different technologies in the foyer of a building used for high profile customer visits at the campus in Shenzen
Getty

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An employee reads in the staff library on a break at the company’s Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

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An area of Huawei’s new Ox Horn campus modelled after a European City
Getty

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Servers are seen inside Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan
Reuters

17/20
The conductor waits for a train in the Huawei’s Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan
Reuters

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A general view shows the research and development centre at Huawei’s Ox Horn campus
AFP/Getty

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Employees works on a mobile phone production line at Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan
Reuters

20/20
An office building on the Huawei campus in Dongguan
AFP/Getty

1/20
An employee enters a train in the Huawei’s Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan
Reuters

2/20
A worker cleans a waterway as office buildings are seen at Huawei’s new Ox Horn Research and Development campus in Dongguan, near shenzen
Getty

3/20
An area of Huawei’s Ox Horn campus modelled after Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic
Getty

4/20
The real Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic
Getty

5/20
Employees sleep in their cubicle in the research and development area after lunch at the Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

6/20
An area of Huawei’s Ox Horn campus modelled after Heidelberg in Germany
Getty Images

7/20
Employees play basketball on a court within the staff housing complex at the end of the workday at the Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

8/20
A replica of the Karl Theodor Bridge in Huawei’s Ox Horn campus
Getty

9/20
The real Karl Theodor Bridge in Heidelberg, Germany
Getty

10/20
Huawei’s Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan
Reuters

11/20
Employees ride the bus home at the end of the workday from the company’s Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

12/20
Huawei workers eat their subsidised lunch in one of many large cafeterias at the company’s Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

13/20
Reception staff walk in front of a large screen showcasing different technologies in the foyer of a building used for high profile customer visits at the campus in Shenzen
Getty

14/20
An employee reads in the staff library on a break at the company’s Bantian campus in Shenzhen
Getty

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An area of Huawei’s new Ox Horn campus modelled after a European City
Getty

16/20
Servers are seen inside Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan
Reuters

17/20
The conductor waits for a train in the Huawei’s Ox Horn campus at Songshan Lake in Dongguan
Reuters

18/20
A general view shows the research and development centre at Huawei’s Ox Horn campus
AFP/Getty

19/20
Employees works on a mobile phone production line at Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan
Reuters

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An office building on the Huawei campus in Dongguan
AFP/Getty
“It gives the UK access to world-leading technology and ensures a competitive market. We have supplied cutting-edge technology to telecoms operators in the UK for more than 15 years.”
The UK will now push western allies to develop non-Chinese alternatives which could reduce reliance on Huawei equipment in the years ahead. Over time, it is intended that Huawei’s 35 per cent share of the network will reduce as other suppliers develop competitive equipment.
Huawei currently has a 34 per cent share in its UK markets, and has been adopted by three British telecoms providers as their key kit supplier for 4G networks, with about 65 per cent of BT and Vodafone.
Without the new cap, the Chinese company would have been expected to achieve a dominant two-thirds share of the non-core 5G and full-fibre market.
A Whitehall source said: “We are clear-eyed about the challenge posed by Huawei, which we today confirm is a high-risk vendor. Huawei will be banned from those parts of the 5G and full-fibre broadband network that are critical to security. They will also be banned from sensitive locations such as nuclear sites and military bases.”
In a swipe at US claims that the Chinese tech giant cannot be safely incorporated into a sensitive western communications system, the source said: “Our world-leading cybersecurity experts know more about Huawei than any country on Earth and are satisfied that, with our approach and tough regulatory regime, any risk can be safely managed.
“We agree with the US and other Five Eyes allies that we must urgently diversify the market and develop alternative suppliers and we are working on an ambitious strategy to achieve this.”
Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre said the package agreed today will ensure that the UK has “a very strong, practical and technically sound framework for digital security in the years ahead”.
“High-risk vendors have never been – and never will be – in our most sensitive networks,” he said. “Taken together these measures add up to a very strong framework for digital security.”
Labour’s digital spokesperson Tracy Brabin said: “Despite years of dithering, the government still can’t tell us how it will restrict Huawei’s access to sensitive parts of the network. It must now give specific reassurances to workers and businesses that a 35 per cent market cap will not stop 5G becoming widely available by 2027, as planned – and that it will support communities whose access to 5G will be delayed by this decision.”