Johnsonfaces a Tory rebellion on the decision to allow Huawei to supply up to 35 per cent of the antennae and masts required for country's 5G network,which will not only be superfast,but also connect everything from household appliances to traffic lights and driverless cars.
The decision also frustrated attempts by the United States and Australia to exclude the Chinese telecoms giant from the West's next-generation communications systems. The US warned the decision could compromise the integrity of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing group,which includes the UK,US,Australia,Canada and New Zealand.
At issue is Britain's insistence that the"core"of the 5G network,which handles sensitive data and functions transfer can be separated from the"edge"of the network,as it is in 4G networks. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre,which oversees Britain’s cybersecurity,maintains that separation will be maintained under 5G.
Gilding,the former head of signals intelligence and offensive cyber missions for ASD,disagreed:"The hyperconnected,transformational 5G future marketed by the telcos can only be realised if there is no distinction between core and edge."
“5G decisions reflect one of those quietly pivotal moments that crystallise a change in world affairs,” he wrote.