April 20, 2020

The Committee says that the inquiry follows the Government’s announcement to allow Huawei and other “high risk vendors” to supply “non-sensitive” elements of the UK’s 5G telecommunications networks, despite security concerns. The Committee says that the issue highlighted the UK’s lack of domestic capability to supply these networks.

The Committee notes that responding to concerns raised by MPs last month, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport told the House of Commons that the Government was not yet in a position “to set out a specific date or timetable for reaching no high-risk vendors”, but that the Government would work with the “Five Eyes (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US and UK) and other partners” to develop new supply chain capacity in the UK’s national infrastructure during the course of the Parliament.

It is in this context that the Committee has launched the inquiry to understand how telecommunications capacity can be built in the UK. Specifically, the Committee would like to hear evidence on:

• what led to the current lack of market competition among telecommunications equipment suppliers and the absence of a domestic supplier in the UK;
• what are the major barriers to entry into the UK telecommunications market are and how these could be overcome;
• the feasibility of the Government supporting the establishment and growth of a UK-based vendor of 5G equipment;
• how the UK can work with international partners (such as the “Five Eyes” countries) to build a domestic capacity;
• measures the UK Government could take to encourage additional, established vendors to enter the UK market; and
• in what timeframe the Government should look to build domestic capacity and remove all “high risk” vendors.

The Committee would welcome written evidence submissions on any of these points by Tuesday 30 June 2020. To read the Committee’s announcement in full and to access the inquiry page, click here.