The epicenter of the global power struggle for a cost-effective wireless infrastructure has been, in recent months, the United Kingdom. The issue of whether the country allows a Chinese supplier into the core of its 5G Wireless telecommunications network is actually less about information security than about geopolitical alliances.
Last Tuesday, the UK Government made what could be the critical decision on the future of 5G as a global standard. It opted to prohibit China’s Huawei from participating as a vendor for the core of its wireless networks, while allowing it to continue participating as a vendor for base station, antenna, and radio access equipment outside the core, so long as its share of installation did not exceed 35 percent.
