The UK Turned to NEC and Samsung
Saturday, June 6, 2020
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The British government held talks with electronics giant NEC about efforts to provide 5G equipment for cellular networks, as part of a broader push to reduce their dependence on Chinese technology.
As per Bloomberg's report, NEC held talks with British officials last month. Likewise with Samsung Electronics, the UK gave opportunities to Korean chaebols to participate in the construction of the 5G network.
Talks with NEC centered on introducing the Japanese company's technology to the British market. Starting with a trial program called 5G Create.
Samsung, which currently does not have 5G infrastructure in the UK, will be invited for talks that are "soon", Bloomberg added.
The UK Ministry of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports has been supported by £ 200 million to work on the 5G trial program to develop cellular infrastructure.
Britain's move to diversify its suppliers is inseparable from the policy of shifting Huawei's position. Whereas previously, in January, Prime Minister Boris Johnson allowed the Chinese vendor to supply 5G technology on a limited basis, on an insensitive network portion.
However, the decision caused Johnson to dispute with a number of factions within his own party, as well as from the US, which firmly prohibited Chinese vendors from being involved in the 5G network for security reasons.
Not only plans to replace other vendors, the UK also cut Huawei's access to components produced abroad using domestic software and technology. The British government last month revealed it was reviewing Huawei's position in connection with tighter US sanctions.
Bloomberg said, PM Boris Johnson was looking for ways to remove Huawei in the UK network in 2023, while trying to explore various alternative suppliers to diversify the supply chain.
In the past week, the British government and US Republican Senator Tom Cotton have put forward the idea of building a coalition with allied countries to develop 5G equipment as an alternative to Chinese technology.
In response to new controls from the tighter British Government, Huawei firmly stated that there was no evidence that the business they were running was a threat to security, adding that it was ready to compete in the market.