Vodafone will remove Huawei-made equipment from the core parts of its wireless networks, the carrier announced on Wednesday. CEO Nick Read said the move will cost the telecom, one of the largest in Europe, approximately €200 million ($220 million) and take about five years to complete, reports Reuters.
Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a 35% cap on Huawei’s involvement in building the country’s 5G telecoms network, following US disapproval of using the Chinese manufacturer.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab defended the decision, saying: “The future of our digital economy depends on having that trust in safety and security,” he said. “And if we are to encourage the take-up of new technologies that will transform our lives for the better then we need to have the right measures in place.”
Read told The Guardian that if other European countries follow the UK and implement a similar cap on Huawei equipment, it would take significantly more time to roll out 5G in those countries. “We would reprioritize money we would have spent on rollout of 5G to replace equipment and that delays 5G rollout. It isn’t an issue in the UK but I wouldn’t want [caps] in Europe. It would be hugely disruptive,” he said.
The UK decided to allow Huawei to take part in the country’s 5G networks despite strong objections from the US. Over the past two years, the federal government has pressured allies to ban the Chinese telecom manufacturer over cybersecurity concerns. In May 2019, the Commerce Department added Huawei to its Entity List, effectively preventing US carriers from using the company’s equipment in their 5G buildouts.
