UK could ban Huawei from 5G rollout after all

The UK looks set to backflip on an earlier decision and follow Australia’s lead in banning a controversial Chinese tech company.

The UK looks set to backflip on an earlier decision and join Australia and others in banning Huawei from its 5G mobile phone networks.

Huawei was banned from participating in the rollout of 5G mobile networks by the Australian government in 2018.

New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan and the United States followed the lead.

Reports in the UK, including a front-page story in The Telegraph, said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson would soon announce a ban on Huawei that could be enacted by the end of the year.

The Huawei logo displayed on its Reading, UK office. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP

The Sunday edition of the Daily Mail also reported the National Cyber Security Centre had been instructed to review the situation.

The UK’s Government Communications Headquarters is believed to have reassessed the risks posed by using Huawei’s technology and decided there are some.

The UK had previously allowed Huawei to have a limited role in the construction of 5G networks.

Former UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was sacked in May last year following a probe into the leak of news that Britain had conditionally allowed China's Huawei to develop the UK 5G network. Picture: Tolga Akmen / AFP

The banning of Huawei in Australia was also a factor in Vodafone and TPG’s eventually successful appeal against the consumer watchdog’s attempt to stop the two companies merging.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission blocked the merger because it thought TPG was likely to create its own mobile phone network and increase competition with Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

It was argued in court that TPG’s plan to make its own network was before the Huawei ban, and contingent on being able to use the company’s cheaper equipment.

TPG and Vodafone are in the midst of merging to become one company.