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Question for Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

UIN 40603, tabled on 27 April 2020

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of (a) current and (b) planned 5G networks are (i) safety-related and (ii) safety-critical networks in Critical National Infrastructure and (iii) security-critical network functions.

Answered on

16 June 2020

It is not possible to quantify the proportion of current and planned 5G networks that are safety-related, safety-critical networks and security-critical network functions.

Safety-related and safety-critical networks in non-telecoms Critical National Infrastructure do not relate to public 5G networks.

Security-critical network functions in the 5G network relate to the sensitive ‘core’ of the mobile network. As no public networks have deployed a 5G core, it is not possible to calculate what proportion of the current 5G networks are covered by the ‘core’. Commercial decisions on the design and make-up of future 5G networks rests with the individual operators. It is therefore not possible to calculate what proportion of planned 5G networks are covered by the ‘core’.