A NEW poll by YouGov shows that 43% of Brits disagree with UK using Huawei to help build 5G infrastructure.
The Government has just announced that the tech firm will be given the opportunity to build non-core elements of Britain’s 5G network – the fifth generation of wireless technology for mobile devices – despite concerns around security.
The Chinese company develops phones and communications infrastructure but has been the centre of a security controversy with fears that its ties to the Chinese state could allow it to spy on the UK.
The US – one of the UK’s security allies as part of the Five Eyes Alliance – has warned Boris Johnson’s Government against allowing Huawei access over the security concerns. Huawei has repeatedly denied having links to the Chinese state.
Last year 63% of Brits said it’s important to take into account the opinion of the Five Eyes Alliance when it comes to partnering with Huawei.
A YouGov poll released today shows that the public overwhelmingly disagree with the decision (43%), although an equal portion of the public are unsure (43%). Only 14% say they agree with the decision. The data was gathered from 1959 adults who were questioned on Monday.
Polling run by YouGov last year showed that Huawei mistrust is well entrenched in the British public. Only 10% of the public say that Huawei is a brand that they trust while over half of UK businesses (53%) would have reservations regarding the involvement of Huawei in systems and communications practices used in their business.
Last year, the US placed trade restrictions on Huawei, blocking American companies from doing business with it, and has called for its allies to ban the Chinese firm from their 5G networks.
In addition, none of the four largest network carriers in the US currently use Huawei equipment in their existing networks.
Australia has followed the lead of the US and blocked Huawei from being a part of its 5G networks.
5G wireless technology offers significant advantages over 4G, the current generation. It allows much faster internet speeds for mobile phones, with the possibility to boost speeds to be 100 times faster as the technology develops.
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