BT asks UK govt for more time on Huawei ban

BT said it had requested an extension to the UK government’s deadline for removing Huawei equipment from its network, after the Chinese company’s equipment was banned due to data security concerns.

BT, which has said the removal of the equipment from its core network where personal data is processed would cost it £500m, has lodged a request with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson banned the use of Huawei parts two years ago, calling the Chinese firm a “high-risk vendor”. Telecoms operators in the UK were given until next January to remove all Huawei equipment from the most sensitive core networks and reduce use in non-core parts of the network to 35%.

“We are continuing to work towards the January 2023 deadline for that work to happen in our core, but have requested a necessary, short extension, to reflect significant Covid-driven impacts to the programme over the past two years,” BT said.

A further ban, on the use of Huawei equipment in the introduction of the UK’s 5G network, must be complied with by 2027.

“We continue to liaise with DCMS and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to ensure our programme can be completed as quickly and safely as possible, and remain confident that the final 2027 deadline for delivering new equipment throughout the 5G network is achievable,” the Guardian newspaper quoted BT as saying.

“At the end of the day, not interrupting service for customers is the critical requirement here,” said Howard Watson, BT’s chief technology officer, speaking to Bloomberg.