Britain to give all-clear to Huawei security center

Britain will clear Chinese telecoms equipment firm Huawei to run a UK-based cyber security center if it agrees to tighter rules to allay spying and hacking fears, a person familiar with the matter said.

Huawei supplies software and equipment which channels phone calls and data around Britain and has found itself at the center of a debate, particularly in the United States, over whether it is a risk for governments to allow foreign suppliers access to their networks. Huawei, which denies any wrongdoing and maintains its work is secure, opened a technology center in Oxfordshire, southern England, in 2010 to test the security of its software and hardware to ensure that they won't expose the UK network to outside hacking or spying. The British government ordered a review in July 2013 of the site, known as The Cell, to ensure security procedures are strong enough. That review, led by Prime Minister David Cameron's national security adviser Kim Darroch, will give Huawei the all-clear, but will recommend tighter controls at the site, the person familiar with the issue told Reuters, without giving details of the extra checks.