Beyond 5G: The Need for Trusted and Secure Digital Infrastructure
Today more than ever, the digital connectivity of our economies and societies, including their healthcare systems, transportation, communications, and industry, depends on the availability and security of the underlying digital infrastructure. It will also define our future when digitalization determines the competitiveness of industries, countries, and the "West" more broadly. 5G has been front and center of global and geopolitical competition.
In the meantime, the inconvenient truth that digital infrastructure based on untrusted technology cannot be trusted is widely accepted. Consequently, the European Commission has recently declared to seek ending the usage of digital services that rely on technologies from untrusted vendors.
De-risking our digital infrastructure is urgently needed in the current geopolitical situation. While the introduction of 5G has sparked the discussion, 5G security risks are just the tip of the iceberg. The digital infrastructure that powers essential public and private sector services, supporting vertical applications in transport, energy and water supply, government services, and even military operations, encompasses fixed connectivity, cloud technologies, optical networks, and IP infrastructure – all of which must be secure and trusted. The good news: it can be done, as several countries in Europe have shown by introducing measures that ensure that dependency on Chinese technology is not growing and is phased out over time.
To foster a collaborative and comprehensive understanding of these challenges, the event brought together officials and experts from different disciplines and countries. The focus was on moderated, outcome-oriented discussions. There is an ample supply of public opinions and views of commercial stakeholders in this debate, and the arguments defending the commercial interests of industry and telecom operators are well known. For this reason, we decided to limit participation to officials, experts, media, and other public stakeholders.
Participants of the event had the chance to discuss how to approach the “precautionary measures” given that the consequences of sabotage, data manipulation, or privacy breaches by foreign powers could have catastrophic consequences for our digital societies and economies.
The event "Beyond 5G - The need for trusted and secure digital infrastructure" co-organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and the Digital Society Institute (DSI) at ESMT Berlin, aimed to provide a fresh impetus to the discussion in Germany, Europe, and beyond. The event was held under the Chatham House rule.
You can find a summary of the event here.