The core part of the UK government actions (Telecommunications (Security) Bill) is to change the technology used by telecommunications firms operating in the country. UK telecoms companies face fines of up to £100,000 ($130,000) a day if they do not comply with rules aimed at phasing out Huawei equipment from the country’s 5G networks.
A previous directive by the government was to remove all Huawei equipment from UK networks by 2027.
Looking at the implications is Jimmy Jones, who is a Cyber Security Telecoms expert at Positive Technologies.
Digital Journal: What is the origin of the legislation?
Jimmy Jones: The legislation describes the penalties and places the government’s advice into a legal framework,. However, if it is aimed at Huawei then the damage has already been done. The previous uncertainty has resulted in mobile operators already having plans for the foreseeable future, and these did not involve Huawei.
What is of most interest is the law is establishing the operator’s security responsibility, something that is beyond the exclusion of certain vendors, and taking this to network security as a whole.
DJ: How much of this is driven by 5G?
Jones: Governments and agencies around the globe have recognised the stakes are even higher for 5G, which will connect exponentially more devices and become the core infrastructure for connected cities. This makes the consequences of security vulnerabilities very dangerous. This has become an issue of critical national infrastructure, leading to this new standard for telecommunications security.
DJ: How long will the process take and why does this matter?
Jones: 5G networks will not suddenly appear. The millions of legacy devices cannot just be switched off in one day and they will coexist for many years to come. So, the telecommunications industry needs to address the inherited security flaws across previous generation networks. These include the potential for denial of service attacks, fraud, call interception and tracking user locations.
DJ: Will the new law drive change?
Jones: The new fines announced provide a major financial incentive to put security in order. The security obligations will drive operators to improve their security protection for the whole network.
