Huawei Poses ‘No Threat’ To UK Security, Says Advisory Board

The use of Huawei networking equipment in the UK’s telecommunication infrastructure poses no threat to national security, according to the first report from a government-sponsored body created to oversee the operations of the Chinese firm.

Huawei has been present in the UK market since 2004 when it won a contract with BT and has since agreed deals with O2, EE, Sky and TalkTalk among others.

However, the networking firm has sparked security fears in a number of countries due to the fact its founder is Ren Zhengfei, a former People’s Liberation Army officer.

Huawei security

Canada and the US have been among the most hostile towards Huawei whereas the UK Government has been comparatively receptive to the prospect of investment.

The Banbury, Oxfordshire-based Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC), was established in November 2010 by the company and the government to assess any potential threat and provide insights into Huawei’s range of products and services to security authorities. An oversight board was created in 2014 and its first report to the national security advisor has said there is no significant threat to UK national security.

“The Oversight Board concludes that in the year 2014-15 HCSEC fulfilled its obligations in respect of the provision of assurance that any risks to UK national security from Huawei’s involvement in the UK’s critical networks have been sufficiently mitigated,” read the report. “We are content to advise the National Security Adviser on this basis.”

Huawei has welcomed the findings, claiming the HCESC demonstrates how governments, operators and equipment providers can work together.

“We welcome the publication of today’s report, as cyber security is a global challenge and requires government and industry to cooperate on an end-to-end basis,” said Ryan Ding, executive director of the Huawei Group Board, and deputy chairman of the HCSEC Oversight Board. “Huawei is pleased to be playing its part in providing reassurance to its UK customers of the quality of our products and solutions through HCSEC. In the globalised, interconnected digital age, we must all work together to deliver the best solutions to the challenges we face.”

In 2012, Zhengfei met with Prime Minister David Cameron and pledged to invest £1.3 billion in the UK. It has worked closely with BT on G.Fast fibre technology and is also testing small cells with Vodafone.

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