Future Telecoms and National Security

Rahim Tafazolli

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Future Telecoms and National Security 

Modern telecommunications networks have the potential to enhance communication, deliver economic growth and innovation, transform certain industries and improve quality of life across the globe. Telecom networks underpin all national critical infrastructures, and their security and resilience are crucial to national security. 

Future Telecom Technology and Roadmap

Modern telecommunications networks, like 5G, have the potential to enhance communication, deliver economic growth and innovation, transform certain industries, and improve quality of life across the globe. Use cases foresee nextgeneration networks supporting millions of devices, powering smart cities and underpinning critical functions like power plants and emergency communications. Nonetheless, legacy mobile networks still play a crucial role in the development of modern telecommunications networks. They may support fewer devices and provide fewer critical services, but services such 2G, 3G, 4G and wired services still form part of existing infrastructure, have industry-specific applications, are used by rural communities, and provide back-up should modern systems fail.

Telecommunication networks, like any network, are prone to denial of service attacks. As a crucial part of daily life and a functioning economy, including the support of critical areas such as space, protecting telecommunications networks is a matter of national security. Most recently, a Chinese advanced persistent threat (APT) actor, dubbed Salt Typhoon, was said to have compromised major US telecommunications networks leading to widespread concerns over data and communications security. The group, linked to China’s Ministry of State Security, exploited vulnerabilities in telecommunication infrastructure, including wiretapping mechanisms used by law enforcement. Balancing the growth opportunities of modern telecommunications networks with national security risks is an enduring challenge for governments and societies.