UK extends deadline to remove Huawei equipment from 5G network core
FILE PHOTO: Huawei logo is pictured on the headquarters building in Reading, Britain July 14, 2020. REUTERS/Matthew Childs/File Photo
LONDON: Britain on Thursday (Oct 13) extended the deadline to remove equipment and services from China's Huawei in core network functions to Dec 31, 2023, from an original target of Jan 28, 2023, after consulting with the company and telecoms operators.
The government said the deadline to remove all Huawei gear from Britain's 5G networks by the end of 2027 remained unchanged.
It also extended a requirement to limit Huawei to 35 per cent of the full fibre access network by three months to Oct 31, 2023.
Britain decided to ban Huawei and other vendors it deemed a high-security risk from its 5G networks in 2020 following pressure from the United States.
The ban, which was enshrined in law last year, required operators such as BT, Vodafone and Hutchison, to switch to alternative suppliers and eventually remove Huawei equipment already installed in their networks.
