Huawei Technologies Co. gear will be ripped out of the core part of a U.K. communications network for police and other emergency responders by the company delivering the £2.3 billion ($3 billion) project, BT Group PLC.
BT has been pulling equipment from the Chinese tech giant out of its own core structure since the 2016 acquisition of mobile carrier EE, which used Huawei gear throughout its systems. That work extends to the Emergency Services Network EE has been building for Britain, though some Huawei parts will remain in the broader access network.
While BT says it's been an ongoing process to remove some Huawei gear and the ESN decision aligns with a long-standing corporate policy to keep the Chinese company out of the core, critics of Huawei will be emboldened by the step to limit its involvement. Huawei has come under fire from governments globally over fears its equipment could enable Chinese spying.