Huawei 5G decision to cost BT Group £500m

BT Group says the government's decision to use certain vendors - Huawei - in building out the UK's next generation 5G network will cost the business an estimated £500m over the next 5 years.

The government said Huawei's equipment will only be allowed to account for 35% of kit used in the non-core part of the UK network. This means that telecoms groups may have to swap equipment such as radio masts in order to meet the cap.

BT Group chief executive Philip Jansen said: "We are in the process of reviewing the guidance in detail to determine the full impact on our plans and at this time estimate an impact of around £500 million over the next 5 years."