Presidential Advisers Set Timeline for Report on Options to Secure 5G Networks

The President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee will vote Aug. 12 on whether to approve a report the group is preparing on the cybersecurity implications of using software-defined networking to secure 5G networks. The NSTAC is made up of senior executives from across the information and communications technology industry. A first draft of the report will be available for initial feedback from the full committee in April, said Ray Dolan, co-chair of the subcommittee on SDN, during a teleconference the group held today. Top industry and administration officials have been promoting the practice of building networks by separating out the software from components and making them interoperable across multiple vendors as a way to reduce reliance on a single vendor, namely Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.