An open letter by Huawei's UK Chief aims to dismiss criticism of the company's participation in the nation's 5G deployment. Victor Zhang wrote that any decision that will exclude Huawei from laying out the 5G roadmap in the UK is a "disservice" to the country and would not help its cause.
Huawei, in January, was awarded a limited role in laying out the groundwork for 5G coverage in the UK. However, many have opposed the decision, and it hinted in March that it could be overturned.
Zhang's letter also highlighted how the internet plays a vital role in the country and highlighted its partnerships with EE, Vodafone, and BT to ensure that connectivity remains uninterrupted throughout the duration of the pandemic. Huawei says that telecom systems in the UK are under strain as usage has increased by 50% due to quarantine guidelines and lockdowns.
"We have built trust in our UK business over 20 years by helping our customers - the mobile network operators - provide consumers with affordable, reliable calls and data," Zhang wrote. "Despite this, there has been groundless criticism from some about Huawei's involvement in the UK's 5G rollout." The Huawei exec also hit out at the people opposing the company, saying that the attacks are without evidence.
Critics of the company in the UK believe that the tech giant is working with the Chinese government, and setting up the 5G infrastructure is just a ruse, putting the country's national security at risk. A group of Conservative MPs sent a letter to the British prime minister asking to "rethink on relations" and decrease its dependency on China.
Coincidentally, Zhang's letter arrives at a time when the UK has amassed people touting conspiracy theories as the truth, linking the COVID-19 pandemic to the 5G rollout. This has led to 5G masts being burned in the country, with the latest report stating that 20 masts have already been set alight over the weekend. The vandalism has caused disruptions in some areas in the UK.
Broadband engineers are also being harassed in the streets during the lockdown as baseless conspiracy theories linking coronavirus to the 5G rollout are spreading on social media. Celebrities propagating this type of misinformation on Twitter, and Facebook has even made the matter worse. Social media companies are now working to stop coronavirus misinformation on their platforms.
Matt Warman, the minister for digital infrastructure, described the attacks as being "irresponsible and idiotic."
