UK releases 5G roadmap to remove high risk vendors

The UK’s Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden announced that operators must stop installing any Huawei equipment in 5G networks from the end of September 2021. In July 2020, the UK government announced that operators need to stop procuring new Huawei equipment from the end of 2020 and remove all Huawei equipment by the end of 2027. The newly released date of September 2021 is a milestone in the path mobile operators must take in order to eliminate Huawei equipment in 5G networks in the UK. Digital Secretary also released the 5G supply chain diversification strategy, presenting the government’s approach to build a resilient, open, and sustainable supply chain. The strategy will address the issues of overreliance on vendors, mitigating the resilience risks to 5G networks ahead of the 2027 deadline.