Europe’s top telecom analyst Strand Consult issued its twentieth annual forecast that warns: ”Too many have a naïve view of the China debate and have not considered the ramifications of turning over key technologies to the autocratic country.”

Copenhagen-based Strand Consult has advised the European telecommunications industry regarding technology innovation, regulatory structures and capital investment strategies since 1994, when Scandinavia’s Nokia and Erickson were the pioneering leaders in design and production of mobile switching equipment and handsets. But European innovators were displaced by China’s Huawei and ZTE in mid-2010s.

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A timely report from the European Union (EU) recently detailed the risks of state-backed threats to 5G infrastructure and network security. “In this context of increased exposure to attacks facilitated by suppliers,” the report concluded, “the risk profile of individual suppliers will become particularly important.” While the EU study did not come out and say it, the “suppliers” that most concern intelligence officials are Chinese equipment suppliers like Huawei, DJI, Lenovo, Hikvision, and so on.

As U.S. policymakers work to implement critical 5G innovations for America’s future, they have already recognized and acted against this particular threat, using bipartisan federal legislation and Commerce Department restrictions to keep Huawei out of American 5G networks.  But other significant risks to America’s swift deployment of a secure 5G infrastructure may be slipping past notice.

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This note reviews the highs and lows in the telecom industry in 2019 and Strand Consult’s annual predictions which we’ve done for the last 19 years. Strand Consult has followed telecommunications industry for almost 25 years. 2019 was a year with much political and regulatory attention and a renewed appreciation for how the industry ensures the digital society that is ubiquitous, fast, safe, green, and inclusive.

Unfortunately 2019 was not the year which marked more milestones for women achieving leadership in the industry. Of the 25 board members of the global industry association GSMA, just three are women. Notably, two of the three are American. Moreover, the heads of most telecom regulatory authorities are men. Only the US has succeeded to deliver the first and only woman for the Director role at the International Telecommunications Union.

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