BT Group asks UK’s government for more time to remove Huawei core

BT Group Plc has asked the UK government for more time to remove the Huawei Technologies Co. core of its network after supply chain concerns led to an impending ban on the equipment.

“At the end of the day, not interrupting service for customers is the critical requirement here,” BT Chief Technology Officer Howard Watson said in an interview in London with Bloomberg on Tuesday, blaming Covid-19 lockdowns for slowing the transition.

The core is the most sensitive part of a broadband network, akin to a sorting office for mail. Following a ban announced after the the US sanctioned the Shenzhen-based company, operators are obliged to remove Huawei from network cores by Jan. 28, 2023 or face fines of as much as £100,000 ($122,000) per day.