The White House on Friday issued its national strategy for how the U.S. will implement and lead efforts to secure fifth-generation wireless infrastructure, technology seen as underpinning future prosperity and economic growth and that also introduces new security challenges.
“5G wireless technology will be transformational with the potential to touch nearly every aspect of our lives and spur incredible economic growth,” Robert O’Brien, the national security adviser to President Trump, said in a statement. “With this potential, the stakes for securing this new technology could not be higher.”
The National Strategy to Secure 5G Implementation Plan outlines four lines of effort built around the U.S. rollout of 5G capabilities, assessing and identifying the key security principles of the infrastructure, addressing economic and national security risks during the development and deployment of the infrastructure, and working with international partners on standards and security.
The plan establishes a new research and development initiative with the roll out 5G infrastructure and capabilities for affordable security, resiliency, safety, privacy and coverage, the 40-page document says. The initiative includes enhancing centers of R&D and manufacturing, leveraging partnerships with government, academia, industry, national laboratories and international partners, and finding incentives and options for secure and competitive 5G infrastructure and suppliers to create a level competitive playing field globally.
The implementation plan follows the release last March of the National Strategy to Secure 5G. The White House National Security and Economic Councils, with support from the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, will manage the implementation plan.