The UK government has introduced the Telecommunications (Security) Bill, under which telecom firms must follow stricter security rules or face fines of up to 10 percent of turnover, the government said in a press release on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2020) The UK government has introduced the Telecommunications (Security) Bill, under which telecom firms must follow stricter security rules or face fines of up to 10 percent of turnover, the government said in a press release on Tuesday.
In January, the UK government announced that additional safeguards should be put on the use of high-risk vendors that pose security risks to telecoms in an effort to protect the UK's 5G and gigabit-capable networks.
"Companies which fall short of the new duties or do not follow directions on the use of high risk vendors could face heavy fines of up to ten per cent of turnover or, in the case of a continuing contravention, �100,000 [$133,420] per day. Ofcom [Office of Communication] will be given the duty of monitoring and assessing the security of telecoms providers," the press release said.
The goal of the new Telecommunications (Security) Bill is to create national security powers, allowing instructions to be given to the big telecom firms about how they can use materials supplied by companies like Chinese tech giant Huawei.
In August 2018, US President Donald Trump signed a decree that banned using network equipment made by Huawei for national security reasons. Several other countries, including the UK, followed suit over allegations that Huawei might be facilitating Chinese spying efforts, something that the tech giant has repeatedly denied.
In July, the UK government announced a ban on the purchase of any Huawei 5G equipment starting at the end of the year. It also unveiled plans to remove all Huawei equipment from 5G networks by 2027.
