Operators could be fined 100000 per day for failing to comply with Huawei ban
In July, the Government announced that – despite previously permitting Huawei a limited role in providing equipment for the non-core parts of the UK’s 5G network – it would be entirely shut out of the networks, along with other vendors considered to be “high-risk”. Mobile operators will have until 2027 to remove all Huawei equipment from their 5G infrastructure. The government’s decision to formal
ly exclude Huawei will be enshrined in law by the new bill. The bill proposes creating new national security powers for imposing controls on when a telecommunications company could use equipment supplied by high-risk vendors. Companies that fail to comply with these rules could face fines of 10 per cent of turnover or £100,000 a day. Ofcom will be given the responsibility to monitor and assess operators’ security protocols. The regulator will carry out technical testing, staff interviews and on-site visits to view equipment and documents. “We are investing billions to roll out 5G and gigabit broadband across the country but the benefits can only be realised if we have full confidence in the security and resilience of our networks,” said the Digital Secretary, Oliver Dowden. “This groundbreaking bill will give the UK one of the toughest telecoms security regimes in the world and allow us to take the action necessary to protect our networks.” According to the Government’s Telecoms Supply Chain Review, self-regulation has not resulted in operators adhering to the best security practices. The new bill will set minimum standards for operators to reach, and lay out new codes of practice to help them comply with their legal obligations regarding high-risk vendors. A Government statement said that requirements would be likely to include: securely designing, building, and maintaining sensitive core equipment; reducing risks that third-party equipment is unreliable or vulnerable to attack; controlling access to core network equipment on site and to software used to manage networks; carrying out security audits to understand ongoing risks to their networks; and protecting customer data when it is transmitted to different parts of the network. These requirements will be published once the bill is approved. “The rollout of 5G and gigabit broadband presents great opportunities for the UK but as we benefit from these we need to improve security in our national networks and operators need to know what is expected of them,” said Dr Ian Levy, technical director at the National Cyber Security Centre. “We are committed to driving up standards and this bill imposes new telecoms security requirements which will help operators make better risk management decisions.” Huawei VP Victor Zhang commented: “It’s disappointing that the Government is looking to exclude Huawei from the 5G roll out. This decision is politically motivated and not based on a fair evaluation of the risks. It does not serve anyone’s best interests as it would move Britain into the digital slow lane and put at risk the government’s levelling up agenda.”
Author: E&T editorial staff
Date: 2020-11-24
theiet.org
| Sponsored: Make the most of being made in Britain and fuel the nation’s recovery (2020-11-03) | The UK economy suffered its biggest slump during the three months from April to June with lockdown measures pushing the country officially into recession for the first time in over a decade The easing of restrictions and social distancing is thankfully seeing shops reopen homebuilding continuing to recover factories ramping up production and businesses increasing output to meet demand as consumer .. |
| Book review: ‘Invent & Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos’ (2020-11-17) | A little over a quarter of a century ago when online retailer Amazon started doing business most of us knew it if we knew it at all as a discount bookseller For many of us the idea of buying anything online coupled with sending our bank details into the ether was an alien experience But we got used to it and today Amazon is in the top ten list of biggest companies in the world by revenue and its f.. |
| Nanodiamonds enhance paper-based diagnostic testing (2020-11-26) | Paper-based lateral flow tests work in a similar way to pregnancy tests; a strip of paper soaked in a fluid sample changes colour or produces a fluorescent signal to indicate a positive result and the detection of virus proteins or DNA This type of test is widely used to detect viruses with lateral flow tests for SARS-CoV-2 being piloted in England and can provide a rapid diagnosis as the results .. |
| 2020 Re-Vision: lessons from the long year of a pandemic (2020-11-10) | Our 2020 Vision special way back in December 2019 looked at the various predictions over the decades made for this landmark year from steel houses and flying cars to living on Mars and teleportation As we near the end of 2020 many of the 20 predictions we examined remain as science fiction but not all Sometimes crystal balls underestimated progress Its not always easy to spot the truly revolutiona.. |
| Virtual meet: Danielle George on robots in space and what really makes 5G crucial (2020-11-10) | The human form is not designed very well to travel in space says Danielle George Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering at the University of Manchester and 2020s IET President However there is something quintessentially human that I am not sure robots will ever have and thats curiosity Do we want robots to make those first discoveries to see that very first thing coming over the horizon? Hear ab.. |
| Nasa achieves first fully-fledged astronaut trip with private firm (2020-11-16) | Nasa astronauts Shannon Walker Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi took off at 1227am on Monday UK time The flight which is heading for the International Space Station ISS is expected to take around 275 hours door to door and will be fully automated unless the crew decides to take control It was originally due to take place on Saturday .. |
| Self-watering soil could transform farming (2020-11-03) | The teams atmospheric water irrigation system details of which have been published in the journal ACS Materials Letters uses super moisture-absorbent gels to capture water from the air When the soil is heated to a certain temperature the gels release the water making it available to plants When the soil distributes water some of it goes back into the air increasing humidity and making it easier to.. |
| The eccentric engineer: the life and death of the strange safety coffin (2020-11-13) | Engineers spend a lot of time thinking about safety Every object and process must be safe to make use and dispose of But one item you would think doesnt really need the safety treatment is the humble coffin The great thing about a coffin is that the owner/occupier is usually far beyond safety concerns and highly unlikely to sue should their purchase prove defective Yet even this hasnt escaped the .. |
| Radar could help self-driving cars ‘see’ clearly in foggy conditions (2020-11-18) | Inclement weather conditions pose a challenge for the development of self-driving cars These vehicles rely on technology such as LiDAR and radar to see and navigate but each has its shortcomings LiDAR which works by bouncing laser beams off surrounding objects can paint a high-resolution 3D picture on a clear day but it cannot see in fog dust rain or snow On the other hand radar which transmits ra.. |
| T-shirts, socks, and jeans tested in search for perfect Covid-19 mask material (2020-10-29) | Materials from T-shirts socks jeans and vacuum bags have been tested to determine their effectiveness at filtering particles between 002 and 01 micrometres - around the size of most viruses - at high speeds comparable to coughing or heavy breathing They compared the performance of these materials with N95 respirators and surgical masks Previous studies have only examined a small selection of mater.. |
