Pedestrians walk past an advertisement promoting the 5G data network at a mobile phone store in London, Britain - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters): Prime Minister Boris Johnson granted Huawei a limited role in Britain’s 5G mobile network on Tuesday, frustrating a global attempt by the United States to exclude the Chinese telecoms giant from the West’s next-generation communications. 

Defying Britain’s closest ally in favour of China on the eve of Brexit, Johnson ruled that “high-risk vendors” such as Huawei would be allowed into the non-sensitive parts of the 5G network. 

Whilst such high-risk companies’ involvement will be capped at 35%, they will be excluded from the sensitive core, where data is processed, and they will be banned from all critical networks and locations such as nuclear sites and military bases. 

Such an explicit rejection of US concerns that Huawei could be used to steal Western secrets was welcomed by the Chinese firm, founded in 1987 by a former People’s Liberation Army engineer, but dismayed the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Johnson and Trump spoke by phone shortly after the decision was made public. “The Prime Minister underlined the importance of like-minded countries working together to diversify the market and break the dominance of a small number of companies,” the British Government said in a statement.

Speaking before the call, a Trump administration official said: “There is no safe option for untrusted vendors to control any part of a 5G network.

“We look forward to working with the UK on a way forward that results in the exclusion of untrusted vendor components from 5G networks.”

US congressional leaders widely criticised Britain’s decision, with powerful Republican Senator Lindsey Graham saying it could “greatly complicate” drawing up a new trade agreement after Britain exits the European Union on 31 January.

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