Shortly after the UK decided to cut the role of Chinese telecommunication company Huawei in the country’s 5G network rollout, the government has asked for Japan's help in this endeavor. What is more, last week the UK authorities also banned Huawei from supplying 5G equipment. Under the new ban, Huawei will be completely removed from the country’s 5G market by the end of 2027.
British officials are now in talks with Japan’s telecommunication firms such as NEC and Fujitsu. Curiously enough, these companies have only 1% of the number of 5G base stations in the UK market. The UK authorities are ready to provide Japanese tech companies with all the necessary support that will help them become one of the main leaders in the international 5G market. Nowadays, Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia are the three giants in this field.
Notably, the UK's refusal to cooperate with Huawei, as well as the introduction of sanctions against smartphone manufacturers and other telecommunications equipment, caused a burst of outrage in China’s mass media. Several state-owned news companies have started openly calling for a retaliatory boycott of the UK and the imposition of the severe counter measures against British companies.
The conflict kicked off on July 14 when the UK authorities officially banned China's companies to cooperate with the Chinese suppliers of equipment for the development of the 5G telecommunications networks. London refused to work with Chinese tech companies after they were accused of transferring personal data of their users to China's International Security Services for further processing and use.
A year ago, the US also accused China’s firms of espionage for the government. Huawei is blacklisted in the US.
