Policy background 5G and Full Fibre networks
As outlined in the 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review , the widespread deployment of 5G and full fibre networks is a primary Government objective. These networks will help to drive future economic growth, enabling a wide range of new products and services that require faster speeds and more processing power. 5G has the potential to connect a vast network of people, objects and communication systems, including those within critical sectors.
	The development of 5G and full fibre networks also creates new security challenges. The speed, scale and processing power of the UK’s future digital infrastructure will create new economic and social opportunities for greater connectivity, including across the UK Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors that are likely to have a greater dependence on 5G infrastructure compared to that of legacy arrangements (2G/3G/4G). The technical characteristics of 5G networks increase their risk profile compared to previous generations of networks. 5G networks will run at much faster data speeds and will be based on software running on commodity hardware, rather than proprietary hardware. Over time, to achieve the full potential of 5G, some of the ‘core’1 functions will move closer to the ‘edge’2 of the network. As this happens, it will be necessary to ensure security arrangements are able to protect both the edge and core of the network.
	The security of telecoms infrastructure needs to be considered within an international context. Certain state, state-sponsored and other actors have the intent and capability to carry out espionage, sabotage and destructive or disruptive cyber-attacks, including through access to the telecoms supply chain. Since 2017, the UK Government has, based on National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assessments, attributed a range of malicious cyber activity to Russia and China, as well as North Korean and Iranian actors.