Huawei Vice President Victor Zhang hit out at ongoing criticism of the company’s role in UK 5G deployments, as he emphasised its efforts in helping operators deal with surging demand for connectivity during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) crisis.

In an open letter, Zhang pointed to the company’s 20-year history working with mobile operators in the country and slated security claims against the company as “groundless”, adding opponents “choose to continue to attack us without presenting any evidence”.

He also noted Huawei’s engineers had been “striving around the clock to keep Britain connected,” working with the UK’s principal mobile and fixed providers to support the growth in demand for connectivity during the ongoing pandemic.

As part of its efforts, the company established three new warehouses to redistribute components around the country, reports Mobile World Live.

Since UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government’s decision in January to allow operators to use Huawei 5G equipment, subject to restrictions, politicians from the UK and US have condemned the move and called for it to be reversed.

Detractors continued their opposition during the early weeks of measures to contain Covid-19, with the latest vote on the issue narrowly won by the government in early March.

Zhang’s public call for support came as the company announced former BT Group chairman Michael Rake had joined its UK board as a non-executive director, having been an adviser at the vendor since the start of 2019.

Rake is the latest high-profile appointment to the company’s UK team, which also includes former BP CEO John Browne, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London Kenneth Olisa, and former senior civil servant and chair of the UK arm of charity WWF Andrew Cahn.