International telecommunications company Huawei has expressed its disappointment over the United Kingdom (UK) Government’s decision to ban the use of its 5G technology by operators in that country.

Last Tuesday Britain backtracked on plans to give Huawei a role in the UK’s new high-speed mobile phone network amid security concerns fuelled by rising tensions between Beijing and Western powers.

Britain said it decided to prohibit Huawei from working on its 5G system after US sanctions made it impossible to ensure the security of equipment made by the Chinese company.

The US had also threatened to sever an intelligence-sharing arrangement with Britain because of concerns that Huawei’s involvement could allow the Chinese Government to infiltrate UK networks.

Britain’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told Parliament the decision would delay the roll-out of 5G technology and increase costs by up to £2 billion but that it had to be done.

“This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one,” said Dowden.

The decision forces British telecoms operators to stop buying 5G equipment from Huawei by the end of this year but gives them until 2027 to remove Huawei gear that has already been used in the network, which is currently under construction.

Fifth generation, or 5G, networks are expected to usher in a new wave of wireless innovation, with super-fast speeds and low signal delay that will help the development of self-driving cars, remote surgery and factory robots.

Huawei, which has been providing service in the UK since 2001, has been a major part of the country’s telecommunications infrastructure and the company has strongly denied the accusations.

Responding late last week Huawei wrote in a statement that the Government’s decision is bad news for anyone in the UK with a mobile phone.

Edward Brewster, spokesperson for Huawei UK, stated that this decision threatens to move Britain into the digital slow lane, push up bills and deepen the digital divide.

“Instead of ‘levelling up’ the Government is levelling down and we urge them to reconsider,” said Brewster.

According to Huawei, the recent US sanctions will not have affected the resilience of the products they supply to the UK.

The telecom firm elaborated that the current matter is about trade policy and not about security.

“Regrettably our future in the UK has become politicised. This is about US trade policy and not security. Over the past 20 years, Huawei has focused on building a better connected UK. As a responsible business, we will continue to support our customers as we have always done,” said Brewster.

He said despite this new shift, Huawei will continue to work with the UK Government to explain how it can continue to contribute to a better connected UK and it will continue to support its customers.

“We will conduct a detailed review of what [the] announcement means for our business here and will work with the UK Government to explain how we can continue to contribute to a better connected Britain,” added Brewster.