The European Commission will lay out a series of new objectives in the field of 5G communications as part of its ‘Digital Decade’ plans, following a series of delays to the EU’s next-generation telecoms rollout, officials have said.
The Digital Decade targets for 2030 are set to be unveiled by the Commission on March 9, with the aim of reducing the EU’s dependence on foreign countries for the provision of key technologies.
Given the EU’s delays in rolling out 5G networks, next-generation telecommunications are expected to feature prominently in the plans.
“5G will certainly be in there,” said Peter Stuckmann, head of unit at the European Commission in charge of future connectivity systems. “You could in principle call it the ‘mini 5G action plan’,” he told an online event held by Forum Europe on Tuesday (23 February).
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An EU-wide cybersecurity certification scheme for 5G networks will be rolled out across the bloc in a bid to patch technical vulnerabilities in next-generation mobile communications, the European Commission said on Wednesday (3 February).
The move comes as part of the EU’s cybersecurity act adopted in 2019, which attempts to encourage market players to bolster the security of their connected devices in order to achieve EU certification. The bloc’s cyber agency, ENISA, has been tasked with coming up with the standards required to qualify for the certificate.
The cybersecurity of 5G networks has long been on the minds of policy workers in the field, as the EU attempts to establish a common approach with regards to the security of next-generation networks in light of various concerns about third-country operators.
EU nations are 'progressing at different paces' in terms of security protocols introduced by the European Commission in order to ensure the safety of next-generation telecommunications networks, the European Court of Auditors has said.