As the UK revisits its decision to include Huawei in its 5G network, Samsung has signaled it is ready and able to fill any gap created by banning Huawei.
Despite pressure from US officials, the UK ultimately chose to include Huawei in its 5G network, albeit in a limited role. Almost immediately, Prime Minister Johnson nearly faced a rebellion within his own party over the decision. Pressure from the US increased, with US officials signaling they might have to withdraw military and intelligence assets from the UK over the decision.
Meanwhile, the US has also been working to limit Huawei’s ability to function, even going so far as to cut them off from TSMC, one of their primary semiconductor manufacturers. All of these factors caused UK officials to reconsider their decision, with a ruling expected soon.
One ongoing challenge, however, is whether the UK can deploy a 5G network in a reasonable amount of time without Huawei. Should the UK choose to go that route, it appears at least one major company believes they can step in where Huawei was originally slated to be.
According to Reuters, when asked if Samsung could successfully replace Huawei in building a 5G network in the UK, executive vice president Woojune Kim said: “Yes we can, definitely.”