TIA Policy Forum: Government Officials from the U.S, Germany, and Japan Discuss ORAN, Securing 5G Supply Chain, and Public-Private Sector Cooperation

Arlington, VA (July 30, 2020) –– Global leaders speaking at a Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Policy Forum on Thursday agreed that producing secure 5G networks will take the cooperation of industry and governments around the world.

TIA, the leading association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech communications networks, hosted the virtual Policy Forum to highlight how countries are addressing security challenges in the 5G era and the potential for unified, global approaches to ICT supply chain risk management.

Beyond the importance of global cooperation, some common themes emerged during the session, including the rising government interest in industry standards and the implications from the emergence of Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) architectures.

TIA’s CEO, David Stehlin, provided opening remarks before the discussion. “Data networks are becoming more global in nature and at TIA, we’re taking an international approach with our ICT supply chain security standards development. With 5G, the benefits are rich and the risks high – making it more important than ever that we foster strong public and private sector collaboration to enact global policies that build security into the ICT supply chain.”

The forum’s panelists included Amb. Robert Strayer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Cyber and International Communications Policy, U.S. Department of State; Mr. Eiji Makiguchi, Director-General of the Global Strategy Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan; and Dr. Daniela Brönstrup, Deputy Director-General, Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, Germany. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. James Lewis, Senior Vice President and Director, Technology Policy Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies.

Director-General Makiguchi highlighted Japan’s efforts to support international cooperation and the use of virtualized networks under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ Beyond 5G Promotion plan released in June of this year. Director-General Makiguchi also emphasized the importance of the Prague Proposals in setting a common, international benchmark for trust as well as the importance of public-private partnerships in maintaining secure networks.

Deputy Director-General Brönstrup of Germany stressed that 5G was high on her country’s agenda and emphasized the need to incorporate takeaways from the EU Toolbox on 5G Security into Germany’s legal framework. Dr. Brönstrup also emphasized the need for EU-wide licensing guidelines for procurement.

For the United States, Amb. Strayer highlighted the importance of using trusted vendors, discussed the 5G Clean Path initiative, and introduced the State Department’s role in developing the National Strategy to Secure 5G Implementation Plan.

Each panelist acknowledged that these networks are the fundamental basis for economies around the globe and securing 5G will take work from all stakeholders.

If you weren’t able to attend, you can find audio of the panel discussion here.

About TIA’s Supply Chain Security Program:

As both the leading trade association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of high-speed communications networks, and a standards development organization accredited by ANSI, TIA is uniquely positioned to facilitate constructive government and industry discussions around the subject of supply chain security for information communications technology (ICT) networks, including 5G.

Through its QuEST Forum community, TIA has, for over 20 years, overseen the leading global standard on telecommunications and ICT supply chain quality, known as TL 9000. Earlier in 2020, TIA published a position paper outlining the need for an industry-driven standard and later announced it would work with industry to create an annex to the TL 9000 standard to include specific criteria that addresses ICT supply chain security.

Contact

Dan Brown, (703) 907-7074 x206, dbrown@tiaonline.org

About TIA

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents more than 400 global companies that enable high-speed communications networks and accelerate next-generation ICT innovation. Through leadership in U.S. and international advocacy, technology programs and standards development, and business performance solutions, TIA and its members are accelerating global connectivity across every industry and market. TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).