According to Reuters reports, an insider revealed that British government officials have discussed the supply of 5G network equipment with companies in South Korea and Japan. It is reported that this is part of the plan to develop Huawei's alternative supplier.
The source said that the UK's negotiations with Japan's NEC and South Korea's Samsung Electronics were part of a plan to diversify 5G suppliers announced by the government last year. Bloomberg first reported this news.
The British government, NEC and Samsung did not respond to this. But Huawei's business in the UK does not seem very optimistic.
In January this year, the United Kingdom listed Huawei as a "high-risk supplier" and announced that it would limit Huawei's 5G business share to less than 35% and exclude it from the core network. At the same time, the British media recently reported that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered government officials to formulate plans to reduce Huawei’s participation in the construction of 5G networks in the UK to zero in 2023.
Although Huawei Vice President Zhang Jiangang previously said in a statement sent to Newsweek, the reports are unfounded. But Reuters pointed out that British officials said that London is currently considering the possibility of allowing Huawei to completely withdraw from the country's 5G construction by 2023.
In addition, British government security officials are also concerned about the impact of the new US sanctions, as further US regulations on Huawei affect Huawei’s chip business. I don’t know whether Huawei’s determination to build a 5G network for the UK remains firm.