Published Dec 24, 2018

Based on what we see and read in the media, “5G” stands for fifth generation of internet connectivity. This next-generation technology promises unprecedented speeds and coverage with more stability than existing telecommunication networks. This 5G network is expected to facilitate revolutionary technologies such as “autonomous vehicles” and “smart electricity grids” and provide a quantum leap in capabilities with connected (IoT) devices just as 4G enabled us to have applications like Uber.

Among various benefits being reported is the promise of 5G to support building of “smart cities” with an advanced network that connects an array of IoT type devices that can provide traffic management, seamless reliable communication between “autonomous vehicles” help with pollution control, improved law and order, and waste management. However, the biggest challenge will be it’s implementation requiring massive investments in infrastructure for 5G here at home, which we know will go through multiple levels of scrutiny of the “Cost / Benefits“, at the highest levels of our Government and Private Sector, which we will not go into here in this piece.

However, the focus of this blog entry is National Security and not infrastructure spending and its associated management. Consequently, we urge our Lawmakers and Regulators, to pay attention to our National Security Concerns which we have attempted to enumerate at a high level:

1. Undue “influence” or “dominance” over 5G standard-setting: 5G network, like all telecommunications networks, is based on a set of approved standards by an international body. During these discussions, the participants who represent various stakeholders of Nations and Companies, all see to ensure that their interests are represented. However, it has been widely reported that China has taken the lead in 5G Technology Standard Setting Process and has been exerting undue “influence” or “dominance” to get these standards to suit the sizable number of patents registered by their state owned companies
2. Telecommunications Equipment: At the present time, Telecommunications equipment to support this new 5G Standard comes from Chinese Companies Huawei and ZTE and two European companies Ericcson and Nokia. Huawei and ZTE’s products are now used by carriers around the world. However last February, six US intelligence agencies warned US citizens against buying products and using services provided by Huawei and ZTE since our government has long worried that these companies could help the Chinese government spy on US citizens, businesses, or political leaders and blocked them from our market. Similar national security concerns also featured prominently in the March 12, 2018 presidential order prohibiting Broadcom’s proposed $117 billion takeover of Qualcomm. We understand that at the present time we do not have any US Equipment makers who manufacture 5G devices and it may be a few years before they start doing the same. Hence, we urge US Equipment Makers to come up with plans to manufacture this gear to support the oncoming 5G Implementation
3. Watch out for development of alternative national standards: In 2003, the Chinese government mandated that all wireless devices support WAPI, a China-specific encryption standard incompatible with wireless encryption standards used outside of China. It is understood that the algorithm for this encryption was not made publicly available. Consequently, this closed process made it impossible to evaluate the technical fitness of the China-specific standard nor could other countries know if intentionally-inserted backdoors were hidden in WAPI. Our regulators need to look our for “traps” like this in the Standard
4. Security: Inadequately secured 5G could leave critical infrastructure vulnerable to hostile exploitation. This vulnerability can exploited to “hack” into surgeries or “tamper” with Autonomous vehicles. Also, it is reported that there are vulnerabilities when connecting 4G device(s) to a 5G infrastructure as the connection is not fully secured. These “gaps” can be exploited unless there are fool-proof Security Risk Management Plans.

We need to be cognizant of the fact that Chinese Telecommunication Companies are State-Owned, not Publicly Traded “Private” Entities like our Telecom companies, and the Chinese State exerts considerable influence on direction and management of these companies like Huawei and ZTE, Hence, we totally concur with FBI Director Christopher Wry who at one point indicated that the US government was “deeply concerned about the risks” of allowing a foreign company controlled by its government to “gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks.” On these lines, we understand that DoD has prohibited such connectivity until these risks are fully known and addressed.

We believe our government is right to be concerned that Chinese equipment makers can build vulnerabilities into their products and hand the details of those “back door” with “source code” or provide details of newly discovered security flaws to the Chinese government and/or their Security Services before fixing them. On these lines, it is refreshing to note that New Zealand Government rejected Huawei’s first 5G bid last month citing national security risk, which lends further credence to our assertion.

Hence, we laud efforts of the President Trump’s White House’s Special Task Force to coordinate with FCC to look at “how to improve spectrum management and assess research and development priorities to create new technologies and improve United States competitiveness.” The memorandum also requests that the Secretary of Commerce develop a “National Spectrum Strategy”. This will be one of many steps that we need to take in order to prepare for 5G

We recognize that implementation of 5G infrastructure and deployment is absolutely necessary for us to be the leaders in Technology while we maintain that our National security concerns regarding 5G technology are unlikely to fade. Hence, we urge our law-makers and regulators to be vigilant during this critical phase when we transition from 4G to 5G in the next few years. More to come on this subject in coming months!