The Government agrees that regular information sharing with international partners is crucial to informing our approach to implementing the UK’s strategy for diversifying the supply chain. The example cited by the Committee of Rakuten’s virtual Open RAN deployment in Japan in 2020 is one of a number of important developments in this area, and showcases the potential future ability of Open RAN solutions in enabling improved network systems integration between hardware and software. The Government also agrees that regular and productive engagement with international partners is vital to ensure we share learnings and coordinate our approaches internationally where appropriate. Recent commitments by industry players in the UK, such as NEC, help to demonstrate the practical impacts that policy alignment between international partners can achieve. The UK is therefore actively working to foster discussion and pursue collaboration on this issue internationally. In doing so, the Government is seeking to learn from the approaches taken by other countries, and to share its own experiences and expertise on these issues. For example, the Telecoms Supply Chain Review was a world-leading comprehensive review into the supply arrangements for the UK’s telecoms critical national infrastructure. In line with the recommendations of the Review, we have taken steps to introduce one of the strongest frameworks for telecoms security in the world through the Telecoms (Security) Bill and are now implementing the Diversification Strategy to grow our telecoms supply chain, whilst ensuring it is resilient to future trends and risks. The UK was the first country in the world to publish a bespoke strategy to address the challenges caused by the lack of effective competition in the telecoms supply market. We must recognise, however, that the international debate on this issue is still developing. That is why the Government is committed to driving forward discussion about this issue on the international stage, to secure buy-in from a critical mass of international partners. We are working with our G7 partners to build international consensus on the need for diversification and to identify tangible opportunities for international partners to coordinate efforts to help deliver meaningful and long-term change to the benefit of the global telecommunications supply market. This will include a shared long term vision, and principles for telecommunications supply chain diversification. In addition to the Government’s work in multilateral fora, we have had a series of productive discussions with a range of international partners bilaterally on this issue, including the Five Eyes and Japan. These discussions are ongoing and we will continue to engage and collaborate proactively with international partners over the coming months in line with the implementation of the Government’s Diversification Strategy.