Second Report: 5G market diversification and wider lessons for critical and emerging technologies
Select Committee
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
HC 450
4 February 2021
No response data available yet.
Recommendations
20 results
1
Para 14
The Government’s ‘5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy’ provides an overview of the Government’s intentions for...
Recommendation
The Government’s ‘5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy’ provides an overview of the Government’s intentions for addressing the current lack of vendors in the UK’s 5G infrastructure equipment market. The Government itself acknowledges that this will take time. Although the decision …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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3
Para 23
In addition to considering the case for transitioning away from 2G and 3G technologies, the...
Recommendation
In addition to considering the case for transitioning away from 2G and 3G technologies, the Government should propose measures within the next six months that could facilitate market entry by existing vendors in the near-term. It should consider options for …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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5
Para 30
The Government should support Open RAN and other efforts to drive the adoption of open...
Recommendation
The Government should support Open RAN and other efforts to drive the adoption of open standards and greater interoperability. While the success of Open RAN is not guaranteed, the Government should encourage the deployment of Open RAN to ensure that …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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6
Para 33
The first live networks using Open RAN are being deployed, with one having launched in...
Recommendation
The first live networks using Open RAN are being deployed, with one having launched in Japan last year. The Government should evaluate these initiatives and report regularly on what lessons can be learned from foreign experiences to inform the UK’s …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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7
Para 36
We heard evidence during our inquiry supporting the Government’s assessment that network operators’ preference for...
Recommendation
We heard evidence during our inquiry supporting the Government’s assessment that network operators’ preference for vendors with proven track records acts as a barrier to potential market entrants. The Government’s proposals to establish testing and validation facilities, and to reduce …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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9
Para 44
The collaborative research and development networks that the Government seeks to develop to support diversification...
Recommendation
The collaborative research and development networks that the Government seeks to develop to support diversification of the telecommunications market should encompass relevant groups at universities and research institutes as well as small- and medium- sized enterprises and large companies. The …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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11
In addition to conducting security testing and validation, the Government should ensure that the research...
Recommendation
In addition to conducting security testing and validation, the Government should ensure that the research and testing facilities established through the diversification strategy also drive market diversification by stimulating collaboration and supporting the development and commercialisation of new technologies. (Paragraph …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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12
Para 52
Testing facilities do not need to be situated in one physical location.
Recommendation
Testing facilities do not need to be situated in one physical location. The Government should ensure that any new testing facilities complement existing facilities, and are designed with potential developments in 5G technology in mind to guard against future redundancy.
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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14
Para 57
The Government should align its strategy for diversifying the 5G vendor market with its support...
Recommendation
The Government should align its strategy for diversifying the 5G vendor market with its support for rolling out 5G network coverage. Wherever the Government provides funds for expanding 5G coverage, it should look for opportunities to simultaneously support vendor diversification, …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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15
Para 60
The Government identified the concentration of intellectual property rights in the hands of established vendors...
Recommendation
The Government identified the concentration of intellectual property rights in the hands of established vendors as a barrier to market entry. It commits in its diversification strategy to working with industry bodies to address this, although the proposed work is …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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17
The Government cannot rely solely on removing barriers to market entry to diversify the telecommunications...
Recommendation
The Government cannot rely solely on removing barriers to market entry to diversify the telecommunications vendor market, but must also ensure that network operators actively pursue diversification and act to maintain the diversity achieved. This will require a combination of …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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18
Para 74
Of Ofcom’s two principal duties, it has appeared to have given less prominence to “further[ing]...
Recommendation
Of Ofcom’s two principal duties, it has appeared to have given less prominence to “further[ing] the interests of citizens in relation to communications matters” than it has to “further[ing] the interests of consumers”. Ofcom must ensure that it pursues both …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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20
The Government should seek to establish a dedicated, standing forum for international co-operation on diversifying...
Recommendation
The Government should seek to establish a dedicated, standing forum for international co-operation on diversifying the telecommunications market, encompassing as many like-minded countries as possible and covering aspects including: research and development; adoption and deployment; standards; and overall strategy. This …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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21
Para 85
There is a strong risk that the urgent security challenges faced by the UK’s telecommunications...
Recommendation
There is a strong risk that the urgent security challenges faced by the UK’s telecommunications sector are indicative of a wider, and growing, geopolitical development. Throughout our inquiry, we have heard of the prospect of a growing technological and regulatory …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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22
The Government must treat the current issues in the UK’s 5G vendor market as an...
Recommendation
The Government must treat the current issues in the UK’s 5G vendor market as an indication of a much wider geopolitical, technological challenge. The character of the UK’s response, and that of other like-minded nations, will have profound implications for …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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23
Para 90
As part of its White Paper on global technological divergence, the Government should develop a...
Recommendation
As part of its White Paper on global technological divergence, the Government should develop a critical technologies strategy that identifies technologies that are likely to be of critical importance to the UK’s prosperity and security over the next ten to …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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25
Para 94
In producing a national strategy for critical and emerging technologies, the Government should consider potential...
Recommendation
In producing a national strategy for critical and emerging technologies, the Government should consider potential risks that could develop across their full supply chains.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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27
Para 100
In producing a national strategy for critical and emerging technologies, the Government should review the...
Recommendation
In producing a national strategy for critical and emerging technologies, the Government should review the relevant global standards bodies, the objectivity of their processes and the relative influence of different countries. Similar to those measures outlined in its 5G supply …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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29
Para 106
In producing a national strategy for critical and emerging technologies, the Government should assess the...
Recommendation
In producing a national strategy for critical and emerging technologies, the Government should assess the UK’s domestic research and development capability for each technology area as well as the capability of its allies. As the Government looks 5G market diversification …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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30
In producing a national strategy for critical and emerging technologies, the Government should consider the...
Recommendation
In producing a national strategy for critical and emerging technologies, the Government should consider the security of the universities, businesses and other institutions conducting research into these technologies. Although guidance for the sector has recently been developed, the Government should …
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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Conclusions (10) Observations and findings — click to expand
2
Conclusion
Para 22
The Government is seeking to attract existing vendors to the UK market in order to diversify the telecommunications vendor market in the short-term. One of the major barriers faced by such companies is the requirement of British network operators for continued provision of older generations of network technology. The main …
4
Conclusion
Para 29
The Government is right to support the development and adoption of open standards and increased interoperability as a potential means of diversifying the telecommunications equipment vendor market. It is also right to identify Open RAN as a prominent approach to achieving this, but not the only one. However, neither the …
8
Conclusion
Para 43
Measures to support research and development form a major part of the Government’s ‘5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy’. Nevertheless, the total funding of £250 million for initial implementation of the strategy is significantly smaller than the tens of billions of pounds invested annually in research and development by the main …
10
Conclusion
Para 48
There is strong support for the establishment of common testing facilities for new 5G infrastructure equipment, to provide a variety of services that could help to drive diversification. The National Telecoms Lab—which appears to be the main facility proposed by the diversification strategy—seems, however, to be focused heavily on security …
13
Conclusion
Para 56
New vendors of 5G telecommunications equipment face challenges in scaling up their production rapidly enough to meet network operator demand and compete with incumbent vendors. Although the Government’s diversification strategy identifies this barrier to market entry, it defers details of any significant measures to address it until publication of a …
16
Conclusion
Para 70
Long-standing factors have driven consolidation in the telecommunications vendor market over many years, so it is critical that the Government adopts measures to maintain market diversity as well as to drive the initial diversification. Network operators will be integral to achieving both aims. Although operators stand to benefit from a …
19
Conclusion
Para 79
The UK’s telecommunications market accounts for a small proportion of the global market. International co-ordination will therefore be critical to the success of the UK’s diversification strategy. The Government’s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy acknowledges this fact, and states the Government’s ambition for international co-operation. However, the strategy provides little …
24
Conclusion
Para 93
The Government has only recently considered the consolidation of vendors in the UK’s telecommunications market as a potential risk to national security, although it is a process that has taken place over ten to twenty years. One problem appears to have been the focus on the security of the network …
26
Conclusion
Para 99
The setting of international standards is important for national economic competitivity and technical capability. The influence of British companies and officials in global standards-setting processes is diminishing. Although the ‘5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy’ sets out the Government’s intention to redress this in the telecommunications sector, it is not clear …
28
Conclusion
Para 105
Domestic capability in the research, development and adoption of critical technologies is key not only to economic growth and technological progress, but also to national security. It reduces dependency on foreign suppliers and governments, and allows the UK greater scrutiny of technologies for potential vulnerabilities and greater influence over the …