BT (British Telecom) Group has asked the government of UK for more time to remove the Huawei Technologies core of the company’s network after supply chain concerns lead to a ban on the equipment.
Howard Watson, chief technology officer of BT, said at the end of the day, not interrupting the services for customer has been an important requirement here and he blamed Covid-19 lockdowns for slowing the transition. He added, the core has been the most sensitive part of a broadband network.
Followed by the ban announced after the United States sanctioned Huawei Technologies Co., the operators are obliged to remove Huawei equipment for their network cores by January 28, 2023 or they will face fines up to 100,000 pounds per day.
The request highlights the past reliance of the British telecommunications industry on the Chinese technology company even in the sensitive parts of the industry’s biggest systems, and the challenges of implementing the order to replace the equipment of Huawei.
Boris Johnson, prime minister of the United Kingdom banned Huawei technologies from the next-generation 5G wireless networks in 2020 and has limited the presence of the company in fixed networks, citing the concerns related to supply-chain after the United States imposed sanctions due to security and spying concerns.
A spokesman of BT Group, said the former state phone monopoly has been working to the current deadline.
