In a letter to the UK Parliament’s Science and Technology Select Committee last week, CEO of the Huawei carrier business group Ryan Ding laid out the long term plan to resolve security issues found last year.
Letter to UK Government
Ding stated: “Enhancing our software engineering capabilities is like replacing components on a high-speed train in motion.” According to Reuters, he also went on to say: “It is a complicated and involved process and will take at least three to five years to see tangible results. We hope the UK government can understand this.”
Ding was also reported to say that Huawei “has never and will never” use its equipment for Chinese state espionage.
Last Years Report
Last year, the UK governments National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) published its annual evaluation of the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC). The report found two low-priority national security findings and two advisory issues.
The report noticed “technical difficulties” in Huawei’s engineering processes. These could cause “new risks in the UK telecommunications networks” claimed the oversight board.
The board also found medium-term concerns regarding incoming technology such as network visualisation, edge computing and 5G.
Huawei Issues in Europe
Reuters also reported that the Italian government has denied that it will ban Huawei and fellow Chinese network ZTE from 5G rollouts.
Ministers in Germany have also been meeting to discuss the possibility of a Huawei 5G ban. Angela Merkel has set conditions for the company’s participation which include guarantees they will not hand over information to the Chinese government.
Other Problems
In Australia, Huawei has been banned by the government from playing a role in the 5G rollout. This was due to national security issues of foreign government interference in communications infrastructure.
Huawei’s 5G equipment has also been limited or banned from other countries including the US and New Zealand. They have also been left off the 5G vendor’s list in South Korea.