This is what happens to your 5G now that the UK banned Huawei

(Image credits: The Guardian)

The United Kingdom banned Huawei from its 5G network. Telecom operators in the UK can no longer purchase new 5G equipment from Huawei after the 31st of December 2020. By 2027, operators are expected to remove all existing Huawei equipment from their infrastructure. A move expected to cost £2 billion (US$2.5 billion). It will also delay the UK’s 5G rollout by a year.

The ban is a dramatic reversal in policy by the Boris Johnson government. Previously, it was agreed Huawei would play a limited role in building the UK’s 5G infrastructure. But in the past few months, Britain’s attitude towards Huawei and China has seen a noticeable shift. So what does this mean for 5G in the UK and the rest of the world?

The UK’s justification to ban Huawei

Reversing its stance 6 months ago, the Boris Johnson government has announced Huawei would be banned from the UK’s 5G networks. (Image credits: Andrew Parsons | AP)

Back in January, the British government decided Huawei’s equipment could be used to develop the nation’s 5G infrastructure. But the decision came with strict limitations. The Chinese telecom giant would still be designated as a high-risk vendor. Its market share would be limited to 35%. Further, it’d be excluded from “security-critical” networks and sensitive…