World's second-biggest telecommunications equipment maker, Huawei is planning to invest about £ 1.2 billion in the UK over the coming five years to expand its position in Europe.

According to latest reports, the company will invest £ 600 million directly while the remaining £ 600 million will be generated through the supply chain. The company is set to announce details of the investment plans on Tuesday.

The company already has a presence in the UK business supplying network technology and it provides unbranded mobile devices to several mobile operators. It is believed that the company is aiming to enter the consumer electronics market and is looking for a base in the European region to begin its research and development work.

Huawei has recently appointed UK's former IT chief, John Suffolk, as a cyber-security official, Brian McBride, a former managing director of Amazon. co. uk and T-Mobile's UK operation as a member of the Huawei's advisory board as well as Claudia Arney, a former director of Emap. The appointment of known personalities is to quell fears that the Chinese company might be using handsets to spy on people.