GOVERNMENT plans to develop 5G mobile networks without the Chinese giant Huawei can help boost independent businesses such as a Dorset company, it is claimed.

Dorchester-based Squire Technologies says the moves will improve the security of the UK’s networks and “level the playing field” for domestic companies.

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has published a strategy for diversifying the supply chain in 5G technology after the decision that the Chinese corporation Huawei would be shut out of the system over security concerns.

Mr Dowden said: “We are taking bold steps to implement one of the toughest telecoms security regimes in the world. A central part of that is combating high-risk vendors, and I have set out an unambiguous timetable for the complete removal of Huawei equipment from our 5G networks no later than 2027.

“That decision is the right one, but it also risks leaving us overly reliant on too few suppliers. That is a dilemma faced by countries across the globe – and it is one the government is confronting head-on through the publication of this strategy.”

The strategy aims to support independent suppliers, attract new companies into the UK market and speed up the introduction of “open interface” technology to encourage competition between vendors.

Andrew Cooper, chairman of Squire Technologies – which employs around 30 people providing network signalling products and services – said the 5G diversification strategy was “a welcome boost for homegrown vendors like ourselves”.

He added that it “signals a levelling up of the playing field for domestic suppliers who have struggled to compete against a small number of global tech giants”.

He said: “I’ve long shared the concerns surrounding the dependence upon a small number of suppliers, and how this puts the security of the UK telecoms network at risk, not to mention impeding the government’s ability to drive innovation in the network that reflects real consumer demand.”

He added: “As one of the few remaining independent vendors in the UK, we feel confident the UK government has identified the pain points in the supply chain that have previously left us, and new entrants severely handicapped.”

He added that “with the government already proving that it’s got the teeth for the job, having made its bold move against Huawei, it feels they’re committed to the changes necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of the UK telecoms industry”.