Huawei Concerns over 5G Infrastructure in the UK

By Jarren Buendia on February 14, 2020

Executive Statement:

According to reports from The Guardian newsgroup, a lot of focus in the last month-and-a-half revolve around the United Kingdom’s decision to allow Chinese-based company, Huawei, access to their developing 5G networks. The rest of the “five eyes,” which include the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, have all declared non-involvement with Huawei, and the US has made their stance on the matter very clear. In summary, if the UK ultimately decides to allow Huawei access to their 5G network, in any capacity, it will jeopardize the intelligence alliance between the US and the UK and hinder the alliance’s ability to secure national security information.

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Details:

Firstly, what is 5G? In short, the BBC reports that it is the newest iteration of “mobile internet services.” 5G aims to provide gigabit connection speeds, and is meant to usher in the era of expanded Internet of Things (IoT). The rise of 5G is significant as technology advances and more people access the Internet all at once.

Huawei is a Chinese-based telecom company. According to the BBC, they are the second-largest smartphone supplier, behind Samsung, and was founded by Ren Zhengfei in 1987. However, despite their global market share, Huawei devices are not officially offered by any retailer in the US due to security concerns and they also had their Android license revoked. This means that Huawei devices issued after March 2019 (when the US ban started) will not be officially supported by Google, nor will the devices support common Google applications. In addition, due to founder Zhengfei’s history within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), current membership in the Chinese Communist Party, and the potential for mandatory government cooperation via China’s 2017 National Intelligence law, the US has placed a hard ban on their products being sold within their borders.

The Five Eyes Intelligence Oversight and Review Council (FIORC) is an intelligence allegiance comprised of five countries: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. According to the Director of Naval Intelligence’s (DNI) official site:

“The Council members exchange views on subjects of mutual interest and concern; compare best practices in review and oversight methodology; explore areas where cooperation on reviews and the sharing of results is permitted where appropriate; encourage transparency to the largest extent possible to enhance public trust; and maintain contact with political offices, oversight and review committees, and non-Five Eyes countries as appropriate.”

Finally, how the UK fits into all this. On 8 February 2020, The Guardian reported that members of the British conservative party are voicing their concerns over the government’s decision to let Huawei build peripheral devices on the 5G network, but not touch the core of the network. Even in a more restrictive capacity, the US has warned that continued cooperation with Huawei could lead to strained communication trust between the US and the UK.

Potential Impacts:

Due to the size of Huawei, the security concerns described in this report can still affect the US. However, since the US government has placed strict bans on Huawei, it appears the security issue is being handled. With that being said, another potential impact comes from the possibility of less information sharing between the US and the UK. Open source intelligence will nott discuss how much information is shared between countries, but the fact that both the US and the UK are on a special committee of just five members strongly indicates that the two nations work rather close with one another. The potential impact is less about jeopardizing national security, and more about the potential information fallout between the two.

Significance:

“FIVE EYES INTELLIGENCE OVERSIGHT AND REVIEW COUNCIL (FIORC).” Retrieved From: dni.gov. Retrieved 12 Feb 2020.

“Huawei: Is it a security threat and what will be its role in UK 5G?.” 28 Jan 2020. Retrieved From: bbc.com/news. Retrieved: 12 Feb 2020.

“Mike Pence hints UK’s Huawei decision could jeopardise trade talks.” 07 Feb 2020. Retrieved From: theguardian.com/politics. Retrieved: 12 Feb 2020.

“Mike Pompeo restates US opposition to Huawei access.” 30 Jan 2020. Retrieved From: theguardian.com/politics. Retrieved: 12 Feb 2020.

“Tories express concern over Huawei role in UK 5G network.” 08 Feb 2020. Retrieved From: theguardian.com/technology. Retrieved: 12 Feb 2020.

“US intelligence sharing will not be jeopardised if UK uses Huawei – MI5 head.” 12 Jan 2020. Retrieved From: theguardian.com/technology. Retrieved: 12 Feb 2020.

“What is 5G and what will it mean for you?.” 28 Jan 2020. Retrieved From: bbc.com/news. Retrieved: 12 Feb 2020.