Britain's Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington
Britain will not consider high risk equipment vendors in security critical parts of its next-generation 5G networks, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington said on Thursday.
Sources told Reuters on Wednesday Britain's National Security Council had decided this week to bar China's Huawei Technologies from all core parts of the 5G network and restrict its access to non-core parts.
Speaking at a cyber security conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Lidington said Britain had rigorous procedures to manage risk in its telecoms infrastructure and the government's decision was based on "evidence and expertise not supposition or speculation."
"We will not countenance high risk vendors in those parts of the UK's 5G network that perform critical security functions," he said.
"The government approach is not about one company or even one country, it is about ensuring stronger cyber security across telecoms, greater resilience in telecoms networks and more diversity in the supply chain."
(Reporting by Jack Stubbs and Michael Holden; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
