* Johnson to meet senior ministers on Huawei decision
* Britain under pressure from U.S. to block Huawei
* Johnson says decision will not compromise security
LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson will
meet senior ministers on Tuesday to decide whether to allow the
use of equipment made by China's Huawei in Britain's future 5G
mobile network.
Johnson is under pressure from the United States to block
Huawei because of concerns that access to the 5G
network could be used by Beijing for espionage and would
jeopardise intelligence sharing between Washington and London.
Huawei, the world's biggest maker of mobile networking
equipment, has denied the allegations.
Sources with knowledge of the matter said last week senior
British officials had proposed granting Huawei a limited role in
the 5G network - a "calculated compromise" which could be
presented to Washington as a tough restriction but also accepted
by British operators already using the company's equipment.
Johnson said on Monday it was possible to keep up with new
technology without compromising national security or
relationships with important allies.
"We are going to come up with a solution that enables us to
achieve both those objectives," he said in reply to a reporter's
question about Huawei.
5G is seen as one of the biggest innovations since the birth
of the internet a generation ago, offering consumers and
businesses much faster data speeds.
British intelligence officials have criticised Huawei for
failing to address security flaws in its equipment, but say they
have found no evidence of state espionage and believe they are
able to successfully manage any risks posed by the firm.
"There's a disconnect between a political conversation and a
technical one, which is making it very hard for the UK to move
forward on this issue," said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy
director-general of the Royal United Services Institute and an
adviser to parliament's joint committee on national security
strategy.
The debate over Huawei's role in 5G networks has split
opinion in capitals across Europe, with politicians weighing the
U.S.-led arguments against lucrative trade ties with China.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May agreed last year before
leaving office to block Huawei from all core parts of the 5G
network but to give it restricted access to non-core parts.
(Reporting by Jack Stubbs, Luke Baker and Kylie MacLellan;
Editing by Timothy Heritage)