Risks of 5G, Huawei… Thierry Breton reveals the position of Europe

European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton presented, on Wednesday 29 January, the “5G toolbox” imagined by the 27 EU member states to protect themselves against the risks linked to the deployment of this new technology. It is ” rules “ that the states have given themselves and that they have “Committed to implement”, insists the ex-CEO of Atos. While the United States has excluded Chinese equipment maker Huawei from its market and is pushing for Europe to do the same, the Europeans have taken an intermediate stance. No prohibition, therefore, but security rules which, in some cases, ban Huawei.

On 5G, we hear about the risk of espionage, sabotage … Are we exaggerating?

It should be understood that the architecture of 5G networks has nothing to do with previous telecommunications systems, that is to say 4G, 3G, 2G, GSM. And that the risks are far greater than they have ever been. Imagine, by 2030, 5G will link up to 500 billion connected objects on the planet. Many of the applications that will be deployed by these networks directly concern the security and even the sovereignty of States.

Can you detail the dangers?

Telecom operators who manage 5G networks will have to perform extremely delicate maintenance operations. And some of the most complex software updates in the world, requiring more lines of code than it took to send a probe to the Moon. In most cases, operators will have no choice but to outsource these assignments. For example, an update requires that all data from the software be removed before correcting it and re-injecting it. This data can be digital modeling of a factory, a city’s video protection network, a hospital, etc.

You therefore understand that these updates may have to be made on European territory and under European control, so that information that the customer of the telecom operator wishes to keep confidential is not sent worldwide. Companies must therefore be very careful in choosing their subcontractors. Just as much as they should be in choosing their equipment supplier.

You can specify ?

First of all, an operator must not depend on only one supplier. If the latter were to have a problem, the entire network would be threatened. There is also another risk inherent in the deployment of 5G: that of an intrusion into the network, which could lead to massive disruption. For example, blow up the flow of an entire city or completely block an administration. In this context, you understand that telecom operators must not select risky suppliers, which could allow a state, for example, to take control of strategic sites such as capitals, places where intense military activity or a nuclear plant. In these areas, there may be more stringent rules than elsewhere.

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