Cybersecurity must remain a constant consideration in the rollout and scaleup of 5G in Europe, as threats to networks increase, MEPs and experts have warned. 

As Europe looks to expand its 5G coverage and close the gap with other regions, cybersecurity must be factored into all stages of the process, said MEP Tsvetelina Penkova, speaking at an event on the future of 5G hosted by GSMA this week.

This is particularly important, she added, as data exchange and usage increases, and in the context of the current geopolitical situation with regards to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “which we shouldn’t be ignoring and which will also impact the security of the network and security of data in Europe.”

Regulatory attention to cybersecurity has been increasing in recent years, with a renewed turn towards bolstering resilience against threats since the onset of the war in Ukraine in February.

Last month, the Commission put forward its proposed Cyber Resilience Act, which aims to institute a security-by-design approach to boost the security of connected devices in the Internet of Things.

Regarding developing 5G infrastructure across Europe, stakeholders have said cybersecurity considerations must be incorporated comprehensively.

However, while the EU lags behind many other regions when it comes to 5G deployment, the situation is reversed when it comes to a prioritisation of cybersecurity, Penkova said, noting that many global partners further along in their network rollouts lack the cybersecurity regulatory framework that the EU has been advancing.

“The fact that we are building up a secure and resilient network and putting a strong emphasis on cybersecurity doesn’t mean that all our partners are putting so much emphasis on that as well,” she said.

“We need to be better in encouraging them to take the necessary measures to ensure that when we’re speaking about data transfers and data use, we cannot limit it only to the EU.” 

Resilient and secure 5G infrastructure, the lawmaker added, would benefit both businesses and consumers, and cultivating a less fragmented telecom market across the EU would be a necessary element in helping Europe to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of 5G connectivity.

This point was echoed by several speakers at the GSMA event, many of whom emphasised the need for market consolidation if the issue was to be adequately handled.

The complexity of this, noted Matthias Bauer, Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, stems partly from the nature of the EU itself and its volume of country-specific differences in regulation and physical landscape.

“The EU is not a single country; it won’t be a single country in the future. We don’t even have a large single market that can compare with the US, China, Brazil or India”, he said, adding that there also exist greatly varying degrees of urgency amongst authorities when it comes to the need to install 5G networks.

“My sense”, he said, “is that there is no real sense of urgency, let alone an ambition for global leadership.”

While an appetite for innovation exists on paper among regulators and EU institutions, he noted that “often policies are being implemented at EU level – less so at national level – that actually undermine international trade, international innovation and innovation in internet applications.”

Consolidation and ramping up the speed of network development, therefore, said Jakob Greiner, Vice President of European Affairs at Deutsche Telekom, would be the necessary first steps if Europe wants to foster a single telecoms market.

Policymakers, however, he added, would also need to think through issues such as the high costs and unfair licensing of the radio spectrum, as well as the paradox of stagnating revenues and rising data and deployment costs, if the problems in the sector are to be confronted.

[Edited by Luca Bertuzzi/Nathalie Weatherald]

Source: Euractiv.com