Security News > 2020 > February > Barr: US Should Invest in Nokia, Ericsson

U.S. Attorney General William Barr says the United States and its allies should take a "Controlling stake" in Huawei's chief competitors, Findland's Nokia and Sweden's Ericsson, to help make them more viable and improve the security of emerging 5G networks.

Speaking at a conference in Washington Thursday organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Barr said that China's unchecked dominance in producing technologies to support 5G networks could pose a "Monumental danger" to U.S. national security.

As the U.S. and other countries prepare the rollout of 5G networks and the new types of internet-connected technologies that these networks will create, Barr said, China could increase its state-sponsored surveillance programs as well as increase its ability to steal intellectual property through hacking and other cyber activities if the networks rely heavily on Chinese equipment.

Because 5G technology primarily relies on semiconductors and fiber optics, among other materials, Barr said China will continue to have the largest domestic share of 5G equipment, allowing the country to scale up its investments around the world and remain an integral part of the global telecom supply chain.

"The more China gains ground as a supplier of 5G infrastructure, the more it will also gain ground in all the constituent technologies that undergird 5G technology," Barr said.

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https://www.inforisktoday.com/barr-us-should-invest-in-nokia-ericsson-a-13700